Rawlings too old for campaign stress - Asiedu Nketia

The founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings’ absence on the party’s campaign trail to seek the re-election of President John Mahama is due to old age, the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said.

In 2008, Rawlings was instrumental in regaining power for the NDC. He had previously ruled Ghana for 19 years as a military dictator and later metamorphosed into a democratic leader.

He was so conspicuous in the 2008 NDC campaign trail that saw the election of late professor John Evans Atta Mills as the third president in the Fourth Republic leading some, especially from the opposition to speculate that Rawlings will be the de-facto president as a result.

However, Rawlings’ participation in President Mahama’s bid for another term in the forthcoming elections has been hugely minimal, causing sceptics to rumour that he lacks confidence in the ability of the latter to fix the challenges facing the economy and also fight corruption.

When he attended the party’s campaign launch in Cape Coast in August, he failed to endorse the candidature of the president during his speech, instead, he chose to warn the party against mimicking the NPP.

This, according to political analysts is suggestive his detachment to the party’s bid for retention.

Asiedu Nketia, however, disagrees arguing in an interview with Joy FM that the former president’s absence was as a result of old age.

“If Jerry is your father will you pull him to campaign at this age?” he asked, pointing out that the party is content to engage the agility of the younger ones in the party “whilst he [Rawlings] stays at the background” proffering wise counselling.