Okudzeto Ablakwa: The Rawlingses Want To Blackmail Us

A Deputy Information Minister, has said the Rawlingses are seeking to blackmail the Mills camp and intimidate delegates to the governing party�s July 8 Congress into voting for Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings. Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said former president Jerry John Rawlings� comments at the 32nd June 4 event-turned-Konadu-Campaign-rally in Kumasi points clearly to blackmail. The former president is convinced his wife is in poll position to win the NDC�s July 8 flag-bearerhship election but maintained at the event last Saturday that should the president refuse to accept the will of the people and manipulate the outcome of the congress through the devious ways of vote-buying and intimidation of delegates, �the inevitable will happen.� What the inevitable is he didn�t say but Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, a fierce loyalist of Mr Rawlings hinted at the formation of a breakaway party should the former the first lady lose the elections under circumstances the Rawlingses deem unfair. Speaking on Joy FM�s Super Morning Show Monday, Mr Ablakwa said the Konadu camp was simply cleverly telling delegates that if they don�t vote Nana Konadu, the party would disintegrate with disastrous consequences � something he believes amounts to a tacit intimidation of delegates. He assured the Mills camp will continue to run a decorous campaign regardless of the provocations of the Konadu camp. Reacting to former President Rawlings� claims that corruption was deepening in the Mills-administration and that some leading members of the government had gone into a pact with officials of the Kufuor administration to overlook corrupt practices on both sides, Mr Ablakwa said president Mills� credentials as an honest, credible leader of integrity were beyond doubt and he will not condone such acts. For him it was about time the former president provided some evidence to his persistent allegations of corruption against members of the government for that was the only way his allegations could be taken seriously and measures put in place to ameliorate the situation. According to the Deputy Information Minister, President Mills is not perturbed about the scurrilous attacks on him for posterity will judge all men by their deeds.