The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, says the party’s founder, Mr. Jerry John Rawlings, would forever be an integral part in its campaign for the 2008 elections. He told Citi FM on Wednesday that the party has no intention to sideline the former president and explained that Mr Rawlings is “a valuable asset to the NDC in our efforts to the Castle”. He said Mr. Rawlings is joining the campaign in full fledge and defused what he said was a propaganda being propagated by the New Patriotic Party that there is an impasse between the leader and the flag-bearer, Prof. Atta Mills. The General Secretary described this and other propaganda by the ruling party as “a comic relief”. Mr. Asiedu-Nketia said the NPP is only crying wolf and “if they think they can create an imaginary problem and redirect our efforts at solving an imaginary problem, we are not going to fall for that at all”. He said the NPP are scared of Mr. Rawlings and are always making frantic efforts to sabotage him from getting on board the NDC campaign trail. He questioned why President Kufuor is canvassing votes for the NPP’s presidential candidate, since the same party has accused Mr. Rawlings of not being a neutral statesman, as a former president, during the days of the then candidate Kufuor and Prof. Mills. Mr. Asiedu-Nketia also denied that the activeness of John Mahama, NDC’s running mate, is overshadowing its presidential candidate. He said Prof. Mills is a well marketed personality whose image is now “a household face, a name that is known by children and everybody”. He said even before he (Mahama) was selected, Mills was doing his door-to-door campaign. He said the NPP is making vain case out of the vibrancy of John Mahama because he is a threat to them and “are exposing the fears they have for John Mahama.” Story by Isaac Essel