Enough of the Image Slaughter

Mills Steps Down?

…As flagbearer of NDC in December Polls

Many are those who could not decipher what lies beneath the long silence of the well-mannered professor of Law and President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills to the daily barrage of attacks from the founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) Jerry Rawlings, but the Al-Hajj can report today that the 2012 flagbearer and leader of NDC is seriously considering bowing out of the December elections and quitting politics altogether to save his image from a ‘possible slaughter from the founder and his wife’.

The Al-Hajj has learnt that President Mills can still not come to terms with what has gone amiss between him and the founder of his party and his former boss who for more than a decade has shared mutual respect and reverence.

After what he has endured for over forty months now, President Mills has told friends that he could not continue to be at the receiving end of character assassination and image battery from no any other person than someone he has shared everything in politics with for almost one and half decades.

“The president, like all mortals is getting to his elastic end in as far as the unwarrantable and inexorable assault on his person, his government and the party by NDC founder, Jerry John Rawlings and his cohorts continues and he will most likely throw in the towel by opting out of this year’s crucial polls and quitting politics all together,” a source close to the President told the Al-Hajj on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the matter for now.

Followers and sympathizers of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) would therefore have to brace themselves up for a sudden election or selection of another candidate to battle NPP’s Akufo Addo in this year’s general elections.

Thus, the political stratagem from the Rawlingses to deploy their verbal ammunition to pluck out the courteous Professor from the apex of the Ghanaian politics appears to be paying off.

Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings having lost control over their once darling protégé, John Mills, adopted a well calculated strategy to speed up Mills’ departure from the NDC and from office right after he was sworn in as the President of Ghana so that they can take over the NDC party and the presidency of Ghana which they seem to consider as their personal property.

Among the course of action was to continually tarnish his hard earned image and reputation, attack his personality and integrity thereby exposing him to public ridicule and opprobrium, which seems to be working to perfection at least from the information the Al-Hajj has gathered from reliable sources at the Presidency.

“Master, let me tell you the ‘oldman’ (Mills) is now fed-up with the unjustifiable and incessant insults dressed as criticisms by the founder and he is considering withdrawing his candidature from the December elections and quitting politics all together.

“We are moving to the point of no return and so don’t be surprise of the developments that would unfold on the future and direction of the President in the coming days… not weeks or months,” the source stated.

The source described how President Mills feels horrified and equally incensed by the utterances of his former boss and mentor since he assumed office, adding that, he sees himself as someone turned into a punching bag for no apparent reason.

“President Mills has had enough of the founder’s constant bashing; he has reached his tolerance levels. However, since he has entered into a covenant never to react to his former boss’ tantrums and also does not want a replica of the Kow Nkensen Ackah (Rawlings’ former Vice President) episode, the most honourable thing to do though painful and regrettable is to retire from politics to safeguard his hard earned reputation and protect his lineage”. The source disclosed.

President Mills’ regrettable action should it happen, according to the source, is also to avoid the likelihood of him being compelled to respond in proportional manner to his former boss which will most likely split the NDC, thereby weakening the party’s chances of retaining power.

The gentle Professor and sitting President had nearly broken the solemn promise he has made to himself never to respond to the outburst of his former boss when President Rawlings publicly subjected him to a dehumanizing verbal attacks in front of a teeming leaders of the NDC at the Trade Fair when the party met to discuss the preparation of the Sunyani presidential primaries last year.

Among other scathing charges, President Rawlings was said to have described President Mills as a sick man who is doing everything to cling on to power despite what he (Rawlings) sees as overwhelming evidence of non-performance of the Mills administration.

President Mills was said to have abruptly retorted “Mr. Founder, Mr. Founder, I will respond I will respond I will respond.”

But the National Security Co-ordinator Larry Gbevlo- Lartey and the National Chairman of the NDC Mr. Kwabena Adjei humbly beckoned to the President to keep quiet and allow the founder to have his way.

“Only God knows what would have happened to the NDC if the President has challenged the former President and founder of the party in that charged atmosphere,” the source pointed out.