General News of Saturday, 5 September 2015

Source: dailyguideghana.com

Go away; NDC women attack Ezenator

Ezenator Rawlings, eldest child of former President John Rawlings Ezenator Rawlings, eldest child of former President John Rawlings

Reports that Ezenator Rawlings, eldest child of former President Jerry John Rawlings, has picked nomination forms to contest the parliamentary primaries on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Osu Klottey Korle Constituency have angered scores of market women in the constituency.

About 100 of the angry-looking market women, claiming to be NDC members, were seen in the constituency Friday morning wearing red headbands and pointing clenched fists skywards while chanting war songs during what was supposed to be a press conference to explain their grievances.

“We do not know her as someone who has worked for this party or helped us in anyway; and it is wrong for her to say she wants to become our Member of Parliament simply because her father is Rawlings. Rawlings’ daughter and so what? She is a total stranger and should not be tolerated in party matters,” Janet Ayorkor Johnson, one of the leaders of the women, told DAILY GUIDE.

The group issued a statement which described Dr Ezenator Rawlings as a “total stranger.”

The statement further raised questions on whether Ezenator was a member of the NDC founded by her father or a member of the National Democratic Party (NDP) founded by her mother, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, after the latter broke away from the NDC.

“We see her as a total stranger in Klottey Korle politics and as women, the only advice we can give her is to stay with the NDP with her mother rather than contesting someone we have known all these years as our MP, Hon Nii Armah Ashitey,” the statement added.

Abigail Quaye, spokesperson for the group which appears to enjoy the backing of the incumbent MP, said that it had been the incumbent Nii Armah Ashitey who had helped them, especially when they were relocating from the Novotel Hotel to their present location (Odawna Market); hence, he is the only person they have known in the constituency.

“Which branch does she belong to…?” they asked, adding that they did not understand why she would not run on the ticket of her mother’s NDP and would rather choose the father’s NDC.

Interestingly, the doubt about Ezenator’s status in NDC affairs was cleared a week ago by the NDC youth organiser for the constituency, Charles Gben, revealing that she is a registered NDC member, does all her party activities and pays her contributions to the Ridge Church branch, Ring Way Ward, of the party.

“She bears a party card and belongs to a branch in the constituency. She pays her dues and that means that she is a recognised party member in the constituency…As executives, we don’t have to support a particular candidate. We have to be neutral so that whoever wins the primaries, we can all work together in a harmonious way. If you support a particular candidate and another candidate wins, it will make the work very difficult. So, there is the need for us to give all the candidates a level playing field,” he averred.