Atta Mills regretted picking Mahama as his vice - Koku Anyidoho

Samuel Koku Anyidoho, founder of the Atta Mills Institute, has reiterated that his former boss, late John Evans Atta Mills, sidestepped his then vice president, John Dramani Mahama, on key issues on the economy.

This is despite Mahama's official role as the head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), which team Anyidoho said was non-functional largely because of Mahama's lack of leadership.

He said Atta Mills eventually constituted an economic advisory body which became the main body that he referred to on matters relating to the economy.

In an exclusive interview on Happy 98.9 FM’s “Epa Hoa Daben” (January 30, 2023), the former presidential spokesperson stressed that Mahama had very little to do with the economic successes chalked under Atta Mills.

“People say he was head of the Economic Management Team under Prof Mills but the fact is it wasn’t working. So Prof created his own advisory economic team because he didn’t have faith in Mahama.

"The Economic Management Team everyone knew at the time was non-functioning so he created his own advisory team chaired by Dr. Gorbin Nankani who later left to the IMF," he revealed adding that the Nankani team "were actually doing the economic thinking for the country.

"So, Prof actually sidestepped Mahama on a lot of this and was running this country in his own,” he disclosed.

Anyidoho, known to be serially opposed to John Dramani Mahama's bid to lead the National Democratic Congress into the 2024 elections, lamented how Mahama destroyed the booming economy he inherited from Mills in 2012 when he took over after his boss' death.

“You were given the opportunity with a strong economy built by President Mills. Dr. Duffour was then the Finance Minister and Amissah was the Governor and Mahama had a solid economy with over 36 months single digit inflation and stable currency, introduction of single spine salary and heavy infrastructural development.

"You came and because you didn’t like Mills you changed every input he did. Then you appointed Seth Terkper as your Finance Minister and you arrogantly agreed, you two collapsed it,” Koku Anyidoho lamented.

Mahama was Mills' running mate in the 2008 elections, which was won in a run-off. He served Mills' remaining term of about six months before he won the 2012 elections.

He, however, lost the 2016 reelection bid and a 2020 shot at staging a comeback. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo defeated him in both elections.

SARA