How John Mahama influenced Victor Smith to smoke peace pipe with JJ Rawlings

Former Ghana High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Victor Smith has detailed how he made up with his former boss, Jerry John Rawlings at a hotel in the United Kingdom.

Victor Smith was a Special Aide to Rawlings when he was president but was fired under very controversial and acrimonious circumstances.

More than a decade after the incident, the two NDC bigwigs made up at a hotel in the UK and Victor Smith credits John Mahama for impressing on him to take the initiative to patch things up with his former boss.

“When I was in the UK he came there. When he was coming President Mahama called to inform me that my man (Rawlings) was coming so I should use the opportunity to reconcile with him. We were not talking. Whenever he saw me, he ignored me. When he came I made arrangements for him to be sent to his hotel.

“Because of what Mahama said, I went to him to make peace with him. I went to the hotel and asked to see him. They asked me to call but I told the receptionist to call him. He called and he agreed to come down and meet me. I felt uneasy a little. He looked angry and I greeted him. He asked me to sit and we spoke.

“I told him my issue and asked him to take credit for where I have reached in my political life. I told him I made it this far in politics because of my association with him. I realized I had diffused him a little. Secondly, I apologized formally for any wrong I had done to him. He looked down and said ‘Victor, you crossed too many red lines but you should speak to Nana,” he told Onua TV.

Victor Smith however disclosed that the last wish of Rawlings which was for him to apologize and smoothen things when Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings is yet to be done.

He says it is a big regret to him and that he is looking for an opportunity to broker peace with Nana Konadu and Rawlings’s children.

“I still will like to be her friend. We still don’t talk at all. Even the children none of them wants to know me including Zanetor. Maybe an allegation was made against me on an issue. President Rawlings himself commented on it in Wa.

“Someone wanted to bring some money to him and the party but I told the person to give the money to Atta Mills. The whole story was not true. I wanted help for the party and I was talking to the person but that person turned out to be con person and he tried to extort money from me.

“I told him I don’t do that and he went behind me to tell Mrs Rawlings that I’m hinting that Rawlings will misuse the money and he got angry with it. That is when they planned to get rid of me. We meet at gatherings and exchange pleasantries, that’s all,” he said.