How Prof Mills became vice president to Rawlings – Anyidoho narrates

Former Director of Communications under late president John Evans Atta Mills, Samuel Koku Anyidoho has shared an account of how his boss became running mate to the late Jerry John Rawlings.

In an interview with Kafui of GTV, Koku Anyidoho narrated the story as told to him by the late Jerry John Rawlings.

“He told us a story as to how Prof Mills became his running mate in 1996 and the story was that, as president, he Jerry Rawlings had a friend, a businessman friend who wanted a favour in terms of tax concessions for his business.

"So he summoned Dr Kwasi Botchwey who was finance minister and kind of gave him the assignment, ‘my friend is looking for some help, sort him out,” he narrated.

According to Mr Anyidoho, while Jerry John Rawlings, then a military leader had issued explicit orders to the minister, the concessions were not granted till after a year, his firned raised the matter again.

When the minister was questioned, he revealed that Prof Mills who was then head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had refused to grant the concession.

“A year plus later, he meets the friend again and in conversation the friend said nothing has happened, I’ve not been sorted out. So he said what? So President Rawlings said he called or summoned Dr Kwasi Botchwey and asked why haven’t you sorted my friend? And Dr Botwchwey was like Mr President it is not me, it’s that man at the IRS,” he narrated.

He said Prof Mills was summoned to the presidency and as a military leader, the late president used all forms of tactics including some sort of intimidation to get the concession but the IRS boss refused based on principle.

“This is President Rawlings telling us that he deliberately kept them waiting for a while, it’s part of the bullying tactics. Just to break the man down. Eventually the man came and to quote President Rawlings ‘I used all my bullying tactics to intimidate this man, this man never… he didn’t move.

“Long and short, after Rawlings had done all the antics; hitting the table and doing everything, he says Prof Mills looked at him eyeball-to-eyeball and for the first time in his life, he Rawlings’ life, somebody had to look at him for him to disengage and that all his life he looks at people for them to disengage,” he said.

He said Prof Mills threatened to resign than to concede.

Prof John Evans Atta served as vice president to Jerry John Rawlings from 1997 to 2001 and later became president from 2009 to July 2012 when he died while in office.

Remembering Atta Mills with @KokuAnyidoho

How the late President Atta Mills stood his ground against an order from JJ Rawlings.

Check first reply for full interview. pic.twitter.com/oNvM3DXBiT

— Kafui Dey (@KafuiDey) July 24, 2023