"Nana Konadu's threat backfires", says a front page banner of the Crusading Guide. According to the paper, Mr Kwamena Barels, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North and a Minority Spokesman on Works and Housing, has noted that a threatening statement reportedly made by the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, prior to the Ablekuma Central bye- election, really backfired. The Crusading

Guide says at a rally almost a week before the March 26, 1999 bye-election, Nana Konadu allegedly threatened that development would not come to the constituency if the NDC candidate, Alhaji Ismail Bawa, was not voted to replace the late MP for the area, Mr C.S. Crabbe. The paper says contrary to the 'crude'

Threat by the First Lady, Mr Victor Okuley Nortey, the NPP candidate, emerged victorious. The Crusading Guide said Mr Bartels, who was reacting to Nana Konadu's utterances during a popular Groove FM programme, "Hotline", said in areas he had been monitoring since 1996, whenever the First Lady campaigned for an NDC Parliamentary candidate, the person lost the election. He cited constituencies like Ablekuma North, Ablekuma South, Ablekuma Central as well as Affigya Sekyere East. " I will be very happy if in the year 2000 she will go round and insult the NPP or individuals during the campaign period. The NPP will certainly win", the paper quotes Mr Bartels as saying.

In a second front page story headlined: "Rumours about J J's death untrue!", the Crusading Guide says as at press time on Tuesday April 6, this year, rumours were seriously doing the rounds that the President, Flt-Lt Jerry John Rawlings, had passed away. Indeed, there was no iota of truth in the rumours. The paper says, terribly shocked by the hearsay, it contacted the Minister in charge of State Seccurity, Mr Kofi Totobi Quakyi, who promptly dismissed the rumours, saying they were unfounded. Mr Quakyi is reported as saying that there was nothing alarming about the President's health that should cause his sudden death, a day after his return from an official visit to France. The paper says the rumours might have gone far and wide as a number of dignitaries both within and outside the country, who were contacted admitted hearing about the rumours but could not, however, ascertain the truth or otherwise of the matter. The Crusading Guide says Washington sources intimated that the rumours even 'rocked' the corridors of the State Department as early as last Friday evening before the rumours reached the shores of Ghana. The paper surmises that the rumours might not be unconnected with the announced long holiday President Rawlings had reportedly taken on the Island of Cyprus and later in the United Kingdom after the France visit. President Rawling returned home with his wife, Nana Konadu, on Easter Monday, through London, the Crusading Guide adds.