National Democratic Congress flag-bearer, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and his campaign team say a claim by former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings that New Patriotic Party flag-bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo is not a qualified lawyer, cannot be correct. Mr. Mahama Ayariga, spokesperson of Prof. Mills told Joy FM at midday that the NDC leader, himself a law lecturer for decades, has no doubt whatsoever about the professional competence and qualifications of Nana Akufo-Addo, and therefore dissociates from Mrs Rawlings’ claims. Nana Konadu on Tuesday questioned the law credentials of Nana Addo and President J.A. Kufuor, saying they lied about their professions and that they hold no law qualifications. But according to Ayariga, “Certainly Professor Mills has been a law teacher for a couple of decades and he’s known the Honourable Nana Akufo-Addo for a very long time. He tells me that he has no doubt whatsoever about the professional competence of Nana Akufo-Addo. He is qualified as a lawyer and so whoever has made statements about the qualifications of Nana Akufo-Addo is definitely not properly informed or has been misled and definitely Nana-Akufo Addo has the competence as a lawyer.” According to Ayariga who spoke to Joy News’ Matilda Asante, Prof. Mills felt obliged to intervene in the public discourse of the competence or otherwise of Nana Addo whom he has known very well and per information at his disposal on the subject, he felt obliged to go to his defence. “Definitely she might not have all the information that we have, and so I think it is all about the level of information you have about an individual. We have enough information about Nana Akufo-Addo to know that he is professionally qualified. As I said Prof. Mills has been a teacher for a very long time, he’s practised law and he’s worked on some occasions, with people I believe, who definitely are very close or worked very closely with Nana Akufo-Addo and know his professional qualifications.” Ayariga maintained that the position of Prof Mills and his campaign team must not be misconstrued as necessarily a rift within the NDC, explaining that Mills and his team are committed to the truth and felt obliged to correct the inaccurate information put out by the former First Lady. Author: Isaac Yeboah