The Chairman of the Eastern Regional branch of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Julius Debrah, has asked the former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings to back down on her decision to challenge President Mills in the party’s flagbearership race. After months of speculation, Mrs Rawlings this week, expressed her intention to contest President Atta Mills on July 8, 2011 when the party goes to Congress to elect its presidential candidate. But Mr Julius Debrah has threatened to resign from the party if Mrs Rawlings becomes the party’s presidential candidate, saying an election would divide the party and send it back to opposition. He told Joy News that even though he understands the essence of democracy, he believes that once the party allows Mrs Rawlings to contest President Mills, "both sides would begin to attack each other and after the congress is over, whoever emerges, we can never win 2012. That is my observation. And I am very frustrated about that.” He said he would not have had any problem had Mrs Rawlings declared her intention whilst the party was in opposition. “I think this is a simple thing we should all understand… If you are in power and within our own force we contest the sitting president, it sends a lot of bad signal outside. “If we all have any ideas, we should all bring it on board, that is how a party works,” he explained. Mr Debrah further stated that the move by Mrs Rawlings could hurt the party’s fortunes in the 2012 elections. Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana