NDC ostracised my wife and I – Rawlings

Former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which he founded ostracized him and his wife former, First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.

He said the party he bequeathed to the late Prof John Evans Atta Mills and former President John Dramani Mahama did the same thing to the new Special Prosecutor Martin Alamisi Burns Kaiser Amidu.

In a reaction to the swearing-in of Mr Amidu as Ghana’s First Special Prosecutor at the funeral of renowned scientist Professor Francis Kofi Ampenyin Allotey at the State House, Accra on Friday, the former President said the NDC ‘avoided’ a man of integrity like Mr Amidu.

“To think we could have utilized somebody like Martin Amidu many years ago from Prof. Mills to our friend John Mahama,” he said, adding “instead we avoided him, we ostracised him the way we do with people like my wife and I.”

He said it took the courage of ‘somebody’ (in reference to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) who does not share the ideals of the NDC to realize the potential of Mr Amidu and said the President deserves commendation.

“It takes somebody from a party completely opposed us, Nana Akufo-Addo to come and appoint him, not as a Minister of State but as Special Prosecutor. We ought to give him credit.”

The former President extolled the virtues of Mr Amidu, a former Attorney General and said he is going to restore integrity in the governance of the country.

“He (Mr. Amidu) will help to clean up the situation. He’s going to help us restore integrity back into governance that you can’t get into government and with impunity, steal and corrupt institutions and get away with it. If you don’t trust Martin Amidu, then don’t trust anybody.”

He also focused his attention on what clearly looks like an NDC-induced suit at the Supreme Court being spearheaded by NDC MP for Bolgatanga East Dominic Ayine regarding Mr Amidu’s age, saying the action is an insult to the people of Ghana.

“Do judges stop thinking? Judges can stay on till they are 70. The President is above 70 and I am as well. It’s an insult. Maybe there’s something wrong that needs to be changed as far as those figures are concerned. He’s a man to be very proud of,” Mr Rawlings said.