Rawlings conspiciously missing at NDC manifesto launch

The Founder of the National Democratic Congress, J.J. Rawlings, was conspicuously missing at the party’s manifesto launch on Monday.

No reason  has been given for the absence of Ghana’s longest-serving head of state at his party’s event.

The event brought together almost all those who matter in the country’s main opposition which hopes to wrestle the power it lost to the New Patriotic Party in 2016.

It is the second time within a week that Mr Rawlings failed to show up at an event he was expected.

He was billed as the guest speaker at the national delegates conference of the  National Democratic Party (NDP) where his wife and former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, was acclaimed as the party’s flagbearer, but he did not attend the event.

The party in a signed statement by their General Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Frimpong had earlier announced that Mr Rawlings would be the special guest at the ceremony but he was absent.

Although he was absent, a solidarity message on his behalf read: “I take this opportunity to also congratulate my dear wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings on her selection as the flagbearer of the NDP. I wish you the best of luck in all your endeavours and wish the NDP well in the 2020 elections”

It is the second consecutive time in four years Mr Rawlings who led the country’s main opposition to two elections in 1992 and 1996 went missing at the party’s manifesto launch.

In 2016, he was not present at the launch of the party’s visions and aspirations ahead of the elections it lost to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Nana Akufo-Addo.

Mr Rawlings had in the past used the party’s manifesto launch to rally support for the party as well as raise funds for the autographed copies of the party’s manifesto.

In August 2000, Mr Rawlings dramatically pricked his thumb, drew blood and thumb-printed a copy of the party’s manifesto.

That copy sold for 150 million cedis (now 15,000 cedis). Mr. Albert Botchway, the NDC Parliamentary candidate for Ablekuma North in the 2000 elections bought the blood-thumb-printed manifesto.

In recent times, the former President has expressed his disgust at a book authored by Prof Kwamena Ahwoi “Working with Rawlings” and accused his protege for  what he says is an attempt to take over the party.

Many activist suggests the founder is not happy with some national leaders of the party and also point to a deliberate attempt to downplay his influence in the party.

Some cite portions of the book in which Pro Ahwoi disclosed how, for instance, a plan was hatched to train young NDC footsoldiers who the former President later described as “Babies with Sharp Teeth” to talk back at former President Rawlings.

Some members of the group have since disassociated themselves from the statement attributed to Prof Ahwoi.

With the elections a few months away, it remains to be seen what role the former President would play in this year’s elections.