Mills Will Contest In 2012 Elections--Dep Chief of Staff

Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Segbefia has finally put paid to speculations regarding the first gentleman of the land, Prof. Mills� political/presidential ambitions, by categorical stating that His Excellency, President John Evans Atta Mills, will contest the 2012 General elections when his first term in office officially ends in 2012.

"Professor Mills will stand as a presidential candidate for the NDC in 2012�I have been asked this question before and I am repeating it now, this is not a case of he has told somebody somewhere that he was not standing or there was a view that he is not intending to stand," he said on Joy Fm�s current affairs programme, Newsfile.

Quite a number of people have expressed disquiet about the health of the president, and with age seriously catching up with him, there are some doubting Thomas�s that President Mills will submit himself to yet another energy-sapping campaign.

Majority Leader, Hon. Alban Bagbin�s recent remarks, implicit though they were, that Vice President John Mahama could be a fine first gentleman in waiting, also heightened the grape-vine reports that President Mills has had enough of presidential work.

Again, there appears to be no love lost between former President Rawlings and his prot�g�, President Mills, who recently, publicly spoke against some of his (Mills�) appointments, and this, to all intents and purposes, further fuelled these speculations.

But the Deputy Chief of Staff invalidated all these line of thought by stressing that the 65 year old Professor of Law and former IRS boss is the most viable candidate and the NDCs best hope of retaining power in 2012

�Let me take one thing out of the question which seems to be fueled by people who do not have the interest of the NDC at heart or have certain agendas, Professor Mills will stand for 2012 as a presidential candidate for the NDC� his desire for re-election in 2012 is non-negotiable,� he stated.

Source: Alex Ofei/Peacefmonline/Ghana