Mills Vrs Konadu

ALL IS set for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to elect its presidential candidate for the 2012 general elections at a special delegates� congress at the Sunyani Coronation Park today. The congress has been described by political pundits as a make or break for the ruling party. Over 3000 delegates selected from the 230 constituencies across the country are in attendance, and they will pick either incumbent President John Evans Atta Mills or Former Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, to lead the NDC 2012 battle. President Mills has become the first Ghanaian president ever to face internal challenge from no mean a person than the wife of his own party�s founder, in his bid to seek a second term in office. Analysts say the party stands the risk of coming out of today�s election in pieces, whichever way it goes, following the sharp division between the founder and the President. Mr. Rawlings has said that the NDC will lose under President Mills in 2012 and therefore called for a change in leadership because the Prof is a bad Yutong driver. The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party last night met at the Eusbett Hotel, where most of the dignitaries are lodging, in a pre-congress dialogue to ostensibly iron out some differences in the voters� register among many other issues. The Konadu camp had detected some anomalies in the voters� register and protested against its usage claiming that it was part of the rigging machine the Mills camp had employed just to twist the outcome of the congress in their favour. The campaign ahead of the congress was characterized by insults, acrimony, personal attacks and name-calling, a development which political watchers say will make things extremely difficult for the party to come out of the congress as a united family. Mr Rawling has already said the battle is between enemies on one hand and traitors on the other hand. There is heavy security presence in Sunyani with over 1,500 policemen and soldiers patrolling the congress grounds and the streets of the municipality. The security arrangement is such that a section of residents fear to come out to undertake their normal economic activities as armoured cars move through the city as if the area is under siege. There are closed circuit television (CCT) cameras installed at some vantage points at the Coronation Park to beef up security and also check other criminal activities in and outside the stadium. The stadium has been given a facelift after its long neglect. President Mills is however tipped to carry the day based on the large number of his appointees that are delegates. However, some observers have predicted that Nana Konadu could pull a surprise because of her strong campaign message which is targeted at the grassroots people who are said to have been marginalized by the Mills administration. President Mills came into the political limelight through the instrumentality of the NDC godfather, Jerry John Rawlings. Mr. Rawlings hand-picked the law professor as his running mate for the 1996 general elections, followed by the infamous Swedru Declaration when the NDC founder anointed him as his successor for the 2000 polls.