Renowned Broadcast Journalist and Pollster, Ben Ephson, says the sudden respect for the late founder and former President of the Republic of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings by by senior members of the NDC is late.
Ben Ephson’s statement follows the demise of Jerry John Rawlings at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 73.
Following the demised of Jerry John Rawlings, some political analysts have concluded that the death of the NDC founder will garner sympathy votes for the NDC.
Reacting to the issue of sympathy votes on Atinka FM’s AM Drive with host Ekourba Gyasi, Ben Ephson said the deceased did not have a good relationship with the party he founded.
According to him, the former President in 2016 said he voted for the National Democratic Party (NDP), a party founded by the his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and not the NDC.
Ben Ephson explained that the relationship between former president Jerry John Rawlings was not the best till his death and so the assumption that the NDC will garner sympathy votes come December 7 is uncertain.
“The deceased had said that in 2016, he voted for his wife and not the NDC. What the NDC is doing is kind of belated and many people who know Rawlings and have been following the relationship will not vote for the NDC. If the NDC thinks the death of Rawlings will pull sympathy votes for the NDC, there are people who will also think that the NDC is pretending to adore Rawlings because he is dead.
In another development, political Science lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, Isaac Brako says, although Rawlings’ death is a big blow to Ghana, his demise will not affect the performance of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) come December 7.
He noted that the relationship between the two turned sour after his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was sidelined by the NDC.
“We cannot rule out the fact that some members of the NDC who joined the party because of Rawlings might drift. The die hard NDC members will vote for the NDC with or without former President Jerry John Rawlings. But his demise will not affect the NDC in any way,” he told Atinka FM.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu Boatemaa
