The dice was finally cast last Wednesday when the NDC announced John Dramani Mahama as the running mate for Prof. Evans Atta Mills in this year’s elections. Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, the favourite of Mrs. Rawlings for the NDC running mate slot missed out and the lot fell on the MP for Bole-Bamboi.

A few days earlier it seemed like the NDC would break apart if Prof. John Evans Atta Mills failed to name Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu as his vice presidential candidate. That was at least the impression Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings gave when she ranted and raved on radio stations daring Professor Mills and disparaging John Mahama.

Since the announcement on Wednesday, Mrs. Rawlings seems to have piped down giving credence to some media reports that her very public disagreement with Prof. Mills’ choice of running mate was only a ruse designed to bolster up the NDC presidential candidate’s macho image as a man who can stand on his own.

She thundered on a radio station that if Prof. Mills did not choose her favourite, Betty “we will tell him what we want to tell him”.

Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu, a lawyer and wife of an unsuccessful NDC presidential hopeful Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, expressed disappointment about her failure to make it, but said that would not deter her from giving her unflinching support to the party.

She also told a local radio station in Accra that, “Madam” referring to Mrs. Rawlings, had also taken the outcome in good faith.

Mrs. Betty Iddrisu recounted what Mrs. Rawlings told her about the selection of John Mahama: “Betty, it did not work this time. We put up a good fight but let’s look forward to next time and let peace and quiet prevail. Let’s put our ears to the ground and see how we can convince the party of the fact that women should be in leadership.”

The narration above begs the question: Could it be that after all, Mrs. Rawlings has no control over what Prof. Mills does and so the NDC is becoming more independent? It is a crucial question because that could mark the reinvention of the movement as a political party and not just a vehicle for the aggrandizement of the Rawlingses.

Mrs. Rawlings had told a radio station that they had treated Mills with kid gloves in 2004 and allowed him to do what he wanted, but because this is a crucial election they have to do things properly. Professor Mills, she said was allowed to have his way in the earlier elections “but look at where it ended us."

With the choice of John Mahama over and above the preference of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings it is now left to be seen what other influence Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings can hold over the party that was created by the state to give credibility to the morphing of the coup created PNDC into NDC for Rawlings to hand over power to himself.

As Nana Konadu seems to have been defeated is it a signal that the NDC is in the process of divesting itself of some of the PNDC/AFRC baggage that continue to make it very unattractive to many middle class voters?