Former President Jerry John Rawlings and the Council of Elders of the main opposition National Democratic Congress have a big role to play in the healing process of the NDC, Kofi Adams, the National Organiser of the party, has said.

As part of efforts to strengthen the party, the Kwesi Botchwey Committee, in its 455-page report on why the NDC lost the 2016 election, recommended that the NDC leadership embark on a peace-making and healing tour across the country.

Speaking to Moro Awudu on the Executive Breakfast Show (EBS) on Class91.3FM on Wednesday 21 June on reuniting with Mr Rawlings, whose relationship with the party has waned in the past few years, Mr Adams cautioned supporters to desist from abusing the founder.

He was, however, of the view that to ensure complete healing and peace within the NDC to make it viable to contest the 2020 polls, Mr Rawlings and the Council of Elders had a role to play as he encouraged them to be “functional”.

Mr Adams said: “Rawlings has a big role to play and per our constitution, fortunately or unfortunately, our founding father is the Chairman of the Council of Elders and so the Council of Elders has a big role to play in the healing process. And luckily for us, per our constitutional process, the two former presidents are automatic members of the Council of Elders.

“Our former chairmen are members of the Council of Elders, our former General Secretaries are members of the Council of Elders, plus many other senior members of the party. So that group must realise that they have a responsibility to help heal the wounds, to help advise party executives…

“If the council was very functional, they would have been calling the executives at various levels or picking some information on the ground and [advise] that ‘this thing is not being done, go and do it this way’, and if or when we don’t do it, then when we are asked questions we need to answer. Sometimes it’s so difficult to be able to consult every elder individually but they can easily have you to advise you on what to do. So I believe that the Council of Elders of the party must be made very functional and must play its functional role.”