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The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho�s expectation of having a durbar in his honour graced by the Rawlingses fizzled out when the former First Family turned down his invitation for last Saturday�s activity. The Deputy Speaker spread word about the event, hyping it with a definite attendance of former President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu. Those who heard the open invitation and the definite attendance by the former First Couple could not resist the opportunity to see and hear their idols. Unfortunately, the Rawlingses issued a �no thank you� reaction to the invitation, leaving some of those who turned up disappointed and with no option but to leave the venue. Sources said the Rawlingses were not happy with Hon. Doe Adjaho�s apathy to the uncharitable language used against them by a section of NDC elements, especially before and soon after the Sunyani congress. The official reaction from the Office of Former President Rawlings, while acknowledging the publicity given by the organizers about their purported attendance of the function, discounted their presence. �The attention of the Office of President Rawlings has been drawn to wide publicity in the media announcing the participation of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings at a durbar in Akatsi to honour the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Honourable Doe Adjaho. �This office wishes to state that neither President nor Mrs. Rawlings has accepted the invitation to the ceremony slated for Saturday March 3, 2012,� the statement added. They however rebutted an earlier impression that they had not served notice of their inability to grace the occasion. �We write to correct the wrong impression regarding the publicity on the event and wish to state that the organisers of the durbar have been duly informed of the inability of His Excellency and Mrs. Rawlings to participate in the event,� the statement concluded. It was a concise statement and coming against the backdrop of recent speculations about a purported mending of fences within the fractured ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) so Mr. Rawlings could reconsider his decision not to campaign for President Mills. The reaction suggested that the Rawlingses were still sulking over the ill-treatment they received at the hands of party persons they initiated into mainstream politics. The couple was in town over the weekend but refused to attend the programme. The Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR), the pressure group championing the cause of the former First Lady and which was active during, before and after the Sunyani congress of the party, are engaged in a running political battle with the Mills faction of the NDC. Last week, they were engaged in an exchange of obscene polemics on the airwaves with the Presidential Spokesperson, Koku Anyidohu who called them �bedwetters dressed in pampers�. FONKAR stated that President Mills had claimed he was popular enough to win the 2012 polls without the Rawlingses. I Respect Doe Adjaho At the durbar, Speaker of Parliament Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo told the gathering that she had a lot of respect for her first Deputy Speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho, Fred Duodu, reports from Akatsi. According to the Speaker, for the past 20 years that she had known Doe Adjaho, he had proven to be humble, respectful, disciplined, industrious and a determined fellow who had passion for upholding the truth at all times. Justice Bamford-Addo gave these remarks at Akatsi over the weekend at a durbar in honour of Mr Adjaho, the MP for Avenor-Ave and First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, organised by the chiefs of the area and the Akatsi District Council of Chiefs (ADCC) in collaboration with the Akatsi District Assembly. It was under the theme �Honour Thy Heroes�, and it brought together a lot of the area�s people, most of whom were clad in white T shirts with the image or name of Doe Adjaho on it. The soft-spoken Speaker narrated how she interviewed Doe Adjaho for his first job at the Attorney General�s Department and how committed he was to his duties. She said, �Doe Adjaho has gotten to where his is now, not by crawling but by flying.� The Acting President of ADCC, Togbui Aklime Adifu IV, noted that since 1992 when Doe Adjaho became the MP for the area, they had experienced tremendous developments. He said among other things, the Deputy Speaker had facilitated the provision of potable water and electricity to almost all communities, including the kraals of Fulanis. Mr Adjaho was presented with a citation in his honour. They also decorated him in a beautiful Ewe Kente and traditional sandals and presented a stool to him. The Awomefia of the Anlo State, Togbui Sri III, also commended Doe Adjaho for his contribution towards the development of his constituency and for that matter the Anlo state, which covers Avenor and parts of the Ave traditional areas. The Awomefia decorated him with an Anlo state embalmed golden medal and presented to him the Hogbeza Award, an honorary award of the state. The Volta Caucus in Parliament, the Municipal and District Chief Executive Caucus and the Old Boys of Accra Academy were there to show some solidarity and presented him with various gifts and cash donations. Mr Adjaho, amidst tears and smiles, noted that he was humbled by the honour and good accolades showered on him. Also in attendance were the Chairman of the Council of State, Prof. Kofi Awonoor, Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Segbefia, Communications Director at the Presidency Koku Anyidoho, the National Health Insurance boss Sylvester Mensah, Roads and Highways Minister Joe Gidisu, Majority Leader Cletus Avorka, former Information Minister John Tia Akologo, and Volta Regional Minister and His Deputy, Joseph Amenowode and Henry Ametefe respectively.