Former President Jerry John Rawlings remains the backbone of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South, has said.

According to him, the influence of Mr Ralwings in Ghanaian politics cannot be underestimated, therefore, the NDC must not push him away.

Mr Ricketts-Hagan, who has announced his intention to contest in the NDC’s presidential primaries ahead of the 2020 polls, said he would be seeking the blessing of Mr Rawlings in his quest to lead the NDC.

“Rawlings is the soul of the NDC and I will seek his blessing,” he told Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday, 20 December.

“He is the founder of the party although others helped him to form the NDC; that nobody can take it away from him.

“If he has left the scenes, we need to bring him back and if he is being pushed out, too, we need to desist from that action,” the former Deputy Minister of Finance under the Mahama administration, added.