1979 Revolution: I feared for my husband's life – Konadu reveals

General News on Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2018-11-28

Although she knew how confident and audacious she was to defend what he believed in, some of them were still very scared; Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of former president Jerry John Rawlings, fears losing the love of his life and the head of his family.

Sending to Paul Adom Otchere, of Metro Channel, about his fears about JJ's first coup attempt in May 1979, she revealed how much she was panicked when her husband, JJ, had to face the court after a failed coup attempt.

The coup d'etat, which was Ghana's third, was planned and executed by a section of junior officers and corporals headed by Captain Jerry John Rawlings in the United States Armed Forces. Ghana, who have been harmed by the governance style of General IK Acheampong.

After the failed attempt, Rawlings and his charges were arrested and imprisoned.
Feeling no support from any direction for her husband, her fears have worsened, she says.

"Of course I was scared. I may have panicked but I was scared. I thought they were going to kill him, I thought so, it was a difficult time, "she admitted.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings also explained how she had badembled a team of lawyers to represent her husband at trial.

According to her, she had to reject a well-established team of lawyers that her mother had chosen so that her mother could defend Rawlings after the failed coup d'etat.

The former first lady explained that she was convinced that the only people who could defend her husband were people convinced of the problem.

She then drove to the campus of the University of Ghana, where Tsatsu Tsikata was a lecturer instructed to convince him to intervene as the captain 's attorney. jailed aviation, Jerry John Rawlings.

The events that followed and on the advice of Tsatsu Tsikata resulted in the formation of a team of lawyers led by the lead counsel and president of the Ghana Bar Association to the Period, Adumua-Bossman.

Nana Konadu said, "My mother and mother went to get some of these great lawyers and my position was that it is not these big lawyers who can get them out of this problem. two mothers were mad at me because they said they already had these two lawyers, I took my car and I went to Legon, I did not find him, I waited at his door, sleeping in my house, car until he came and told him what I wanted, he said we needed a senior to guide us, but there was no problem, but we need a senior who has the name and recognition. "

"So we went all the way to Adabraka and then he said that I had to wait in the car, he was going up and talking to the guy, all the time I did not know who he was. mounted, talked to him and came back and said that the guy wants to see you.It is interested so let's go and when I went it was Adumua-Bossman, "she added.

She did, however, allude to the fact that she did not know anything about her husband's plans for the coup. It was one of those normal days when her husband came back with friends and she had to "prepare" them some food, after which they left for a few rounds.

"He left the house, came back with some of his soldiers, they were doing something, I'm thinking of fixing a table or something." I came home, it was one of those days when I was there. I closed early and they wanted to eat so I repaired something for and when they finished eating, they said they would come back, "recalls Nana Konadu.

My mother told me about June 4th

The coup d'etat of 4 June 1979 took place after colleagues of the former president entered the prisons and released.

A public broadcast announcing the takeover of leadership was conducted by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation to formally indicate a change of government.

However, just like the failed coup of May 15, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings said she was totally unaware that the coup would take place on June 4 and that the show would resulting public would have taken place thereafter.

"When the broadcast came, I did not hear it.It was later that my mother came home and said that I had to leave the house.I had my daughter with me but she was too young to know what was going on, she was just a year old, "revealed the former First Lady.

These details are contained in the book by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, "It takes a woman", which she recently launched. The book tells his political journey.