The chief spokesman for the late former president John Evans Atta-Mills, Koku Anyidoho, has denied claims by elements within his party, the National Democratic Congress, that he disrespected the then vice-president, John Mahama, when they both worked in the Atta-Mills government between January 2009 to July 2012.
Anyidoho, currently founder and president of the Atta-Mills Institute, was speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show (#ABSAsaase) on Asaase Radio (99.5Mhz), today (21 July 2020) in the lead-up to the first-anniversary celebration of the Atta-Mills Institute. Anyidoho declared that never on any occasion at any moment during the Atta-Mills era did he have occasion to disrespect Vice-President John Mahama.
“This issue about disrespecting the vice-president, I never, and I swear on the grave of the man I worked for, I never disrespected the vice-president,” Anyidoho said.
“Let me tell you: the vice-president, as I knew at the time I was at the Presidency, never walked without close escort, at least three [people and also] including his ADC, so four, close escorts. Those escorts are mandated to kill if they have to, to protect the vice-president.
“Some guy comes around called Koku Anyidoho. He has the power of Tarzan, Captain Planet, head of Medusa and he alone has the power to be booting and kicking the vice-president like that? And the escorts were watching and applauding him? Oh, wow! And at the end of the month, they got their salaries? Bollocks! Absolute bollocks!” Anyidoho said.
Bitter against NDC
Of his relationship with the NDC and the general secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Anyidoho argued that some “scoundrels” in the NDC claim he is bitter after he lost internal elections in an attempt to become the general secretary of the party.
He dismissed these claims and insisted that if he was bitter, he would not have accepted an offer from Asiedu Nketiah to serve on the very committee that worked to elect John Mahama as the party’s flagbearer for the 2020 general election.
“I have not deserted the party. The record states that I worked and served on the presidential primaries committee,” Anyidoho said.
Atta-Mills Institute
Turning his attention to events to mark the eighth anniversary of the death of John Evans Atta-Mills, Anyidoho announced that the institute will host a seminar at the Alliance Française in Accra on 23 June 2020.
The seminar will also be one of the main events to celebrate the first anniversary of the establishment of the Atta-Mills Institute.
The theme of the seminar on Thursday will be “Resilience in Nation-Building: Politics of Character and Values”.
On the panel
Speaking during the seminar on Thursday (23 July) will be Professor Kwesi Aning, director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
Also taking part in the discussion will be Josephine Nkrumah, chair of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and Moses Foh-Amoaning.
On Friday (24 July) a remembrance and wreath-laying ceremony for the late former president John Evans Atta-Mills will take place at the Asomdwee Park in Accra, starting at 7am.
Wilberforce Asare
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