'Fatherless bastard' - how Abigail Rawlings was mocked by her classmates at Adabraka L/A Primary

Classmates of Abigail Rawlings, the lady who says she is Rawlings first daughter, at Adabraka L/A Primary School in Accra have recalled how Abigail Rawlings was mocked in the school as a bastard child because she didn’t know who her father was.

This is after her story emerged following the death of Ex President Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings with whom, Abigail says her mother confessed as having had an affair with leading to her birth.

Someone who was her mate in Primary school at Adabraka said he knows Abigail Rawlings and corroborated her story that at the time, they used to tease her as having no father, because that was what was rumoured all over the Adabraka area. He said later, rumours emerged that Rawlings was her father after the coup because they look alike and also because Rawlings attended the same Adabraka L/A Primary School.

The story goes that in 1967, Rawlings in final year secondary school, aged 20 then, allegedly impregnated Rose Agbodzi Sende, an Ewe in Accra but originally from Togo. The young Rawlings allegedly pleaded with Rose to keep the pregnancy secret because his future was at stake, which Rose agreed.

In March 1968, Abigail was born to a single mother, the same year Rawlings, 21, was settling down as an Airforce Cadet.

Rose met someone willing to marry her and left her child Abigail with an old lady at Adabraka in Accra where the child grew up, knowing she had only a mother, and not knowing her father.

In an effort to find her father as an adult, Abigail confronted her mother, Rose A. Sende about who her father was, whereupon she was told the whole story about what happened in 1967 and how Rawlings was her father.

Abigail has said in an interview that before her mother opened up about Rawlings, she had had numerous dreams involving Jerry Rawlings as head of state.

The young daughter started looking for Rawlings after her mother’s confession and found her way to Rawlings family home in 2002 where she was accepted. A member of the family who spoke on strict condition of anonymity said prior to her appearance, they had heard from some travelers from Togo saying there was a lady at Lome claiming Rawlings was her father, hence meeting her was bound to happen somehow.

It must be stated that contrary to reports, no one in the family remembers any photograph Rawlings ordered circulated to find the girl. Several attempts to reach Grace Omaboe (Maame Dokono) for some additional facts was futile.

According to sources, when Rawlings was informed of her sudden appearance and claim, he neither denied nor confirmed it. However at various times, he enquired about her and on a number of occasions since 2002, he acknowledged her by sending her money for upkeep and to start a business.