Kwesi Ahwoi on “Anything Can Happen Comment”: I misspoke, I apologise

Senior member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former minister of the interior (2013-14) under the erstwhile John Mahama Administration, Kwesi Ahwoi, has said that his recent comments suggesting that the fate that befell the late president John Evans Atta Mills which allowed his vice-president to take over could befall John Dramani Mahama, in the event of the NDC winning the presidential election in December 2024, was a mistake and that he misspoke.

Despite his apology, sources within the NDC and in John Mahama’s camp are said to be livid about the comments of Kwesi Ahwoi. The damage according to sources who are familiar with ongoing discussions about the situation, has already been done and no apology can repair it.

“I have taken notice of the unfortunate controversy that has arisen as a result of a comment I made at a reception organized last Thursday by the Church Street group of NDC faithful for Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Running Mate to our esteemed flagbearer, H.E. John Dramani Mahama.

“I sincerely regret the wrong impression that my comment has created. Indeed, it was not my intention, and never will it be my intention to pray that H.E. John Mahama does not serve his full four-year term when he wins the 2024 general elections.

“I concede that I misspoke on the occasion. I accept the criticisms in good faith, even though some of the criticisms arise out of a deliberate misrepresentation of my statement,” Kwesi Ahwoi said in a statement released under his hand on Sunday, 24 March 2024.

“Indeed, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang in response to my toast, pointed out the erroneous impression created by my statement and was categorical in asserting that she was certain that H.E. John Mahama will win the 2024 general elections and serve his full four-year term. It is unfortunate that my statement appears to have taken the shine off what was otherwise a cheerful and light-hearted occasion.

“I hereby render an unreserved and unqualified apology to H.E. John Dramani Mahama, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the leadership and rank and file of the great NDC. Comrades and friends, let us put this unfortunate incident behind us and unite behind our flag-bearer, the visionary Nation Builder, to rescue our beloved country in the December 2024 elections” Mr Ahwoi’s statement further read.

Background

What was intended to be a happy event at the Ahwois’ office on Church Street, Labone, to celebrate Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang’s renomination as John Mahama’s running mate left many guests aghast, with some reportedly leaving the scene prematurely.

Proposing a toast to Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, 72, Kwesi Ahwoi, aged 77, stated confidently that she would be the first female vice-president of Ghana. A harmless message, it seemed.

However, he proceeded to show how when he went further to urge her to hold herself in readiness to become president, since “anything can happen”, as, indeed, it did with the passing of Professor Evans Atta-Mills, which allowed Vice-President John Mahama to take over and be sworn in to finish Mills’s unexpired term in 2012.

“John Mahama was not ready to be president at the time but nature schemed things in such a way that President Mills had to give way to John Mahama.

“Anything can happen – so, Naana, be ever prepared, as your motto says. Anything thing can happen and you can become the President of the Republic of Ghana,” Kwesi Ahwoi said, in a video that has since gone viral.

During Ahwoi’s comments, a female voice could be heard in the background saying, “No, no, don’t pray for death!” in reaction to what was being said.

Health matters

Ahwoi’s comments have sparked speculation on social media about the health of the former president John Mahama, who will be contesting the presidency for the fourth time in December.

President Mills, who was suffering from throat cancer, died on 24 July 2012 at the age of 68, after ruling since 2009. His vice-president took over and went on to contest the December 2012 general election successfully.

It is documented that the influential Ahwoi brothers (Ato, Kwamena, and Kwesi) were the ones who persuaded President Jerry John Rawlings to pick Professor Mills as his running mate in 1996.

Ato Ahwoi’s office on Church Street was perceived as a place of great influence under the Mills government. Naana Opoku-Agyemang, whose candidacy was sponsored by the Ahwois, is seen as embodying the revival and extension of that old influence.

John Mahama, if successful in 2024, can serve only one four-year term, paving the way for what can be expected to be a hot battle for his succession within the NDC.

Incidentally, the pro-Jane camp, led by the powerful Ahwoi brothers, used Naana Opoku-Agyemang’s age and apparent lack of ambition as making her the safest bet for NDC’s running mate for 2024.