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Former First Lady and wife of the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, has made an open admission that the party is dying slowly like a withering flower. In her words, �when we won the last election we wanted the NDC to pursue an agenda that would enable us (the party) to perpetuate the development of our country and the development of its people; but we can see that the party is withering like a flower� and that �it is dwindling and almost collapsing�. This, she said, was evident in the fact that several �members of our party are actually defecting to the opposition�. Mrs. Rawlings made these remarks when she paid a courtesy call on the chiefs and people of the Asogli Traditional Area in Ho on Tuesday as part of her campaign tour of the Volta Region- the political world bank of the NDC. She could not but ask her audience rhetorically: �Whoever heard of a party in government having its people defect to the opposition?� and in the same breadth said, �Something is wrong.� This and others, according to her, was the reason why she accepted to contest the flagbearership position of the NDC since pressure was mounting on her from the rank and file of the party, explaining that her intention to lead the party was not because of what she would gain, as her detractors had suggested, but because of what she planned to give back. So far, Nana Konadu said all surveys that had been conducted clearly showed that �if we don�t change the candidate, we are going back into opposition�, for which reason she decided to take the mantle to fight to get the party back on its feet when it goes to congress in Sunyani, to win the candidature and continue to put the party where it belongs in the history of Ghana. �We don�t want a country where there is only one dominant party and if we don�t win the elections in 2012, there will be only one dominant party in Ghana- the NPP- and then all of us will have ourselves to blame,� she noted, emphasizing, �It takes a certain level of vibrancy to be able to win elections from a determined group like the NPP.� The former first lady expressed optimism that she was on the right track due to the huge wind of rejuvenation that had engulfed the party since she decided to run for the flagbearership position of the NDC, describing as erroneous, claims that it was improper for her to contest the presidency because her husband had been the President before. Konadu said her husband would have been out of power for 12 years by 2012 and that her quest for the presidency was solely based on the fact that she was a die-hard NDC member who had the capacity to rejuvenate the party by pursuing a grassroots agenda. She told her audience, �We have a real programme for the country and with the support of all of you- the chiefs, the queenmothers, the elders and the elders in our party and indeed the grassroots- we will be able to move the party forward.� The paramount chief of the Shia Traditional Area, Togbe Dadzawa III, who spoke for the chiefs, congratulated Mrs. Rawlings for being the first woman to offer herself to serve the country in the capacity of President, saying, �We hope your example will urge other women to also get more involved in national affairs by offering themselves for public office.� Togbe Dadzawa urged all politicians to conduct their campaigns with decorum and in a peaceful manner devoid of insults and acrimony before, during and after the congress. Other chiefs present were Togbe Agbi III, Paramount Chief of Hoviefe Traditional Area; Togbe Afele II, Divisional Chief of Ho Nliha; Togbe Dekortsu II, Afetorfia of Ho Neve; Zikpitor Akpo, Paramount Stool father of Ho; Mama Awude II, Asafo Queenmother of Ho Bankue; and Mama Afiatsoa II, Mankralo Queenmother. Konadu was accompanied by two of her campaign coordinators, Member of Parliament for Manya Krobo, Micheal Teye Nyaunu and Berrick Namburr, as well as member of the campaign team, Sylvia Ahorlu.