The heavy defeat suffered by former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings at the hands of President J.E.A. Mills at the National Democratic Congress’(NDC) national delegates congress in Sunyani over the weekend has led to speculations that former President Jerry John Rawlings has lost his seemingly mythical influence on the party he founded. The party’s chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, will have none of that. Dr. Adjei who was supported by the former first couple against Dr. Obed Asamoah during the party’s 2006 congress to elect new party executives seems to have fallen out with the Rawlingses as they supported another candidate (Dr. Asamoah Tutu) to challenge him at the 2010 special delegates congress. He insists, nonetheless, that it is not right to say that the NDC has gotten rid of its once enigmatic leader. “We are just growing; we are not purging ourselves at all. We are growing; we knew the importance of the founder at a certain point in time in our maturation process and if we have been to a situation that has changed to accommodate new ways of looking at our party in order to adapt and to survive, then we have to do so but expressions like ‘purging yourself of Rawlings’ do not help us at all.” Dr. Kwabena Adjei who was speaking to Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Wednesday, said he does not think the NDC has weaned itself off the influence of Jerry Rawlings but it is time to adapt to changing times. “We respected him; he was with us; we knew what he did, we know his legacy but it has come to a time that we think we must add to the legacy but the methods of doing so have changed. That is all,” he stressed. Reacting to concerns of how the party intends to reconcile its differences with the party founder, Dr. Adjei stated that it is too early for people to expect anything from the Rawlingses on the campaign trail and that they should be given time to heal from the Sunyani event. “Between now and the campaign time is a long period no matter how short, but it is the time that people will think things over and decide - let’s say Rawlings and the wife will think things over and decide - whether they will go to the campaign platform or not,” he explained. He said if Mr. Rawlings’ contribution is required on the campaign trail and it might not be coming, they will have to strengthen the party the more: ”we will go to the grassroots to work harder. We will work harder than before.”