The founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Jerry John Rawlings, has paid tribute to former party chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, describing him as a very strong and passionate man who lived his conviction.

The former President said he had a great deal of respect for Dr. Adjei because he stood for his beliefs and was not a materialist.

Describing the late Adjei as a fighter during a call on his family at his Agboba residence in the outskirts of Accra on Monday, former President Rawlings said the deceased was however very sad and disappointed about a lot of things.

“Adjei was disappointed in terms of our own weaknesses as a party. He was disappointed about the politics of our party and the fact that it had been monetized and held hostage. He was hurt about the loss of the value systems of the party,” Flt Lt Rawlings said.

The former President urged the family to stay strong and united during this difficult period and expressed the hope that his children will carry some of his fighting spirit.

An associate of the former President and good friend of Dr. Adjei, Dr. Anthony Dzegede, who knew Dr. Adjei from his Nigeria days said as a thinker and a philosopher, it was only natural that Dr. Adjei became a politician.

Dr. Dzegede described the late Adjei as a genius with brilliant ideas, witty and full of humourous insinuations.

The late Dr. Adjei served as party chairman from 2005 to 2014. Prior to that he had a rich political history, serving in several capacities under the PNDC and NDC governments.