Professor Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Minister of Local Government, has revealed how former President Jerry John Rawlings attempted to truncate the presidential ambition of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
According to Kwamena Ahwoi, Mr Rawlings, on the blind side of his former vice president, plotted to stop him from becoming the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2006.
In his controversial book, ‘Working with Rawlings,’ Prof Kwamena Ahwoi said Mr Rawlings tried to persuade his elder brother, Ato Ahwoi, and Eddie Annan to contest Prof Mills in the 2006 presidential primary of the NDC.
He indicated that Mr Rawlings was capitalising on the ill-health of Prof Mills to have him replaced as flagbearer, ahead of the 2008 general elections. The book narrates that it was wildly rumoured that Mr Rawlings and his wife sponsored Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and Eddie Annan to contest against Mills at the 2006 Legon ‘N’ Block Congress.
“With regard to Eddie Annan, I can confirm that it was not a rumour, because I have personal knowledge of Rawlings’ sponsorship (not financial) of Eddie Annan to contest Professor Mills,” Prof Kwamena Ahwoi said in the book.
He further narrated that in the run-up to the December 2006 Congress at Legon ‘N’ Block, Eddie Annan, who used to invite him to breakfast on Saturdays, informed him of his decision to contest the presidential primary against Prof Mills, and wanted him, Kwamena, to inform Mills.
“I was stunned. I said: ‘Eddie, but Professor Mills is your very good friend. He comes to swim in your house every morning. Why do you want to contest him?’ His answer was: ‘Don’t you know that Prof. is not well’?” Kwamena Ahwoi said.
According to him, he told Eddie that he (Eddie) was a businessman and that he should not take risks unnecessarily. Again, he, Eddie, knew he was not popular in the party, so it could only be some powerful hands in the party pushing him on that tangent.
“…And looking at your associations with the party, it is only Jerry Rawlings and his wife, or both, who could have convinced you to take such a risk and contest against your own very good friend, because, I believe you know your chances of winning are zero,” Kwamena Ahwoi narrated.
According to Kwamena, Eddie got angry and said he had insulted him with his answer, which he said was an insinuation that he, Eddie, did not have a mind of his own, a development which ended the joint breakfast sessions between the duo.
Kwamena continued the story that on the eve of the election at the Legon ‘N’ Block Congress, Eddie apologised to him and said he was bringing him his stone. Kwamena quoted Eddie as saying that of all the people he consulted, it was him who was bold enough to tell that Jerry “had put me up to challenge my friend. It was true.
“I am here to apologise to you because of something that Jerry has done. I think he has sensed that Prof. is going to win by all means, so he is now telling me that when it gets to my turn during the pre-election speeches, I should announce that I am withdrawing my candidature and calling on all my supporters to vote for Professor Mills. He thinks he is smart,” the book reported.
Kwamena further quoted Eddie as saying if Rawlings genuinely wanted him (Eddie) to step down for Prof Mills, why should he wait until he had spent over 6 billion old cedis, so he contested and lost.
“But, perhaps the most bizarre of all Rawlings’ intrigues against Professor Mills was when he asked my senior brother, Ato Ahwoi, of all people, to contest against Professor Mills,” Kwamena stated.
He continued to narrate that Rawlings invited Ato Ahwoi to his residence and tried to prevail on him to contest the presidential primary against Mills, but an astounded Ato did not give in, considering the role he played in 1996 to convince Mills to agree to become Rawlings’ running mate.
The book continued that when Rawlings realised he could not persuade Ato, he requested him (Ato) to ask the two of them – Kwame and Kwesi Ahwoi – to see him the next day, but asked Ato not to inform them (Kwamena and Kwesi Ahwoi) about the possible subject matter of the meeting, but Ato did.
Kwamena said at their meeting with Rawlings, he wanted them to convince Ato Ahwoi to contest the presidential primary against Mills.
Kwamena wrote in the book that “When he (Rawlings) finished, I begged permission of my brother Kwesi to let me respond. He agreed and I responded thus: ‘Mr President, you have taught me in the long period that I worked with you in government as your minister that a traitor is worse that an enemy. You have taught me that the enemy you know and can take steps against, but the traitor you never know because he is coming from within. As brothers, you know our friendship with Professor Mills, and yet you are asking us to act traitorously against him and betray him. I am very disappointed in you. If you have nothing else to tell us, we would like to take our leave’.”
Kwamena further narrated that he could tell Rawlings had regretted inviting them. He added that Rawlings requested them not to tell Mill what happened, but the three of them drove to give a detailed briefing to Mills.
He said Rawlings even went to Ambassador Daniel Ohene Agyekum to have him convince Mills to step down for a replacement, basing it on the latter being unwell, but Ambassador Ohene Agyekum told Rawlings he was “not ready to throw away fifty years of friendship for the sake of political expediency.”
The post How Rawlings attempted to torpedo Mills’ presidential ambition appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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