Founder of the National Democratic Congress, Former President Rawlings has rejected claims made by a senior member of the party, Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi in his book ‘working with Rawlings’ that he (President Rawlings) referred to the late President Mills as ‘Atta Mortuary man’ at one of the party’s congresses in Tamale.
Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi claimed in his book that after the said incident in which President Rawlings made that remark towards the late President, the latter was so demoralized that he sought to resign from the presidency.
However, the NDC founder has refuted this allegation and several others in a lengthy rejoinder on his facebook wall.
He specifically wrote, “The entire reference to ‘Atta the mortuary man’ by the author is obviously ill-intentioned, unresearched and yet another attempt to dramatize the well-orchestrated divide in his Rawlings versus Atta Mills tale.
Atta Kwabena Kumah popularly known as ‘Attah the mortuary man’ was a good friend of President Rawlings, who worked at the 37 Military Hospital, Anatomical Pathological Unit for over forty (40) years. He sadly passed away in July of 2011 at the age of 82. They had known each other for close to forty (40) years, during which time Attah Kumah would regale President Rawlings with his life stories and Rawlings would do same.
At the introduction of his address at the 2010 NDC Congress in Tamale, President Rawlings cracked a joke (as he is known to do) recounting one of his many interactions with Atta Kumah which got the entire audience laughing and relaxed in anticipation of the more serious task ahead, the election of National Executives of the Party. This particular non-incident has been clarified on so many occasions that one only has to take the time to find sources for clarification.
It is rather unfortunate, that even a light-hearted joke that had the intended effect of diffusing the tensions usually experienced at party congresses, has been twisted into yet another Mills versus Rawlings affair ten (10) years later. Clearly, we can all see who seeks the perpetual disunity and failure of the NDC; once operating from the shadows and now clearly in the light.
See the former President’s full Facebook post below…………………….
