Former President Jerry John Rawlings has denied claims that his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, requested to be running mate to the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills.
Mr Rawlings in a statement on Wednesday, August 26 said: “It must be stated that the claim by named persons in the book that Nana Konadu, at a meeting with Professor Mills requested for the Vice-Presidential slot is an outright fabrication. Nana Konadu never requested, indicated or discussed with any individual an intention or desire to be the running-mate to Vice-President Mills.
“Varied personal opinions have been sought by the author in his bid to sully the image of President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. A tall list of personalities take turns to offer their apparent view of the Rawlings-Mills relationship.
“It must be stated, that the claim by named persons in the book that Nana Konadu, at a meeting with Professor Mills requested for the Vice-Presidential slot is an outright fabrication. Nana Konadu never requested, indicated or discussed with any individual an intention or desire to be the running-mate to Vice-President Mills.
“This book is quite unfortunately, riddled with countless fabrications and assumptions ascribed to said individuals who were thought to have more honour.
“President Rawlings and President Mills had a good relationship during the latter’s tenure. They interacted several times via telephone and met a few times either at the Ridge residence or the Castle, Osu and at all times they treated each other with utmost respect. These meetings were at the behest of President Mills, so it is difficult to reconcile the so-called bitterness that Ahwoi portrays in his book to the reality of the relationship between Rawlings and Mills.
“A number of personalities that the author refers to and others, have written publicly to disassociate themselves from the comments in the book. A clear indication of the credibility or lack thereof of its contents.
“This book appears to have no aim of serving history with facts. It reads as an opportunistic and calculated attempt to ridicule President Rawlings and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, using the personality of the late President John Atta Mills as the bait. From the inception, the author has harboured his own parochial agenda which clashed naturally with the integrity and accountability of Rawlings. Those of such ilk will continue to attempt to rewrite history to suit their selfish ends, but discerning minds will no longer be reticent of nor willing to tolerate such political trickery and subterfuge.
“The truth is a debt owed to the memory of the departed as well as current and future generations. The true legacy of the PNDC into the NDC under President Jerry John Rawlings, is one that ought to be acknowledged if there exists a Fourth Republic that has endured.”
The statement was in reaction to Professor Kwamena Ahwoi’s book ‘Working With Rawlings’.
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana