Ghana's former first lady, Nana Konadu to run for President

Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, on Saturday made history, becoming the nation’s first-ever credible female candidate to be endorsed by a political party to contest for the presidency. She pledged to transform the nation and restore it to the path of real social justice and progress saying her strong and progressive leadership would ensure access to education, health care and protect the rights of every Ghanaian. Putting the people above politics is her goal, she said, adding that she would place the people at the centre of her policies. “The real treasures of the nation are not the oilfields but the youth and women” she noted and said they must therefore be supported to realize their potentials and dreams. Her election was by popular acclamation at the National Democratic Party (NDP) national delegates congress held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi. On hand were about 3,000 delegates and observers. A huge crowd of the party’s supporters adorned in the NDP’s colours also made it to the venue of the event to be part of the historic congress.

Representatives of the other political parties, including the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Convention People’s Party (CPP), Progressive People’s Party (PPP), People’s National Convention (PNC) and Independent People’s Party (IPP) were there to show solidarity. Conspicuously missing was the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). Mrs Rawlings, who has over the decades been fighting for women, described her candidature, as representing the dawn of “a new era”, drawing deafening applause from the large gathering. Former President Jerry John Rawlings, who stood by the side of the wife, lauded the leadership of the NDP, for the vision and boldness to form the party. He said he had no doubt that the party’s underpinning principles of transparency accountability and good governance would enable it to make an impact in December polls. continued