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Details from Manasseh Azuri’s new book on the Mahama administration has revealed deep insights into how Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, Vice President during the John Mahama administration, was sidelined and prevented from doing his job by some officials at the Jubilee House.
According to details provided in the book, the unfair treatment meted out to the late Vice President during the Mahama administration comes as a surprise as former President Mahama is reported to have suffered similar fate while serving as Vice President to late Professor Atta-Mills.
Even though not much is known of the specific details in relation to Amissah-Arthur’s situation under Mahama, a story filed by TheGhanaReport, official media partners of the launch of Manasseh Azuri’s new book, “The Fourth John: Reign, Rejection, and Rebound,” noted that “Mahama’s vice president, Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, also had his fair share of sidelining and frustration by some Flagstaff House officials”
Former President Mahama, according to the story, based on excerpts of the book, wrote his resignation letter and was willing to step down from the Atta-Mills government prior to his demise in July 2012.
Mahama, according to the yet-to-be-released book, was frustrated and tired of the ill-treatment, disrespect and the sidelining he suffered at the hands of persons close to the President at the time, Atta-Mills.
His wife, Lordina Mahama, is also reported to have held several meetings with Professor Mills to lament about Mahama’s poor performance in bed because of the frustration and intimidation he went through on daily basis.
This got to the now flagbearer of the opposition NDC who decided to submit his resignation as Vice President.
However, timely intervention from the Chief Director at the Office of the Vice President got Former President Mahama to rescind his decision and withdraw the letter of resignation.
“The Chief Director at the Office of the Vice President had returned from lunch break to find the typist in the office seriously typing a letter. Official letters often passed through him (the Chief Director), and he then assigned the typist to work on them.”
“But this was an exception. When he asked typist what he was typing, he said the vice president had given him something to type but he would not speak when asked what it was. Perhaps, the content was too heavy for his mouth.”
“The Chief Director then drew closer to him and looked at the screen of the computer. What greeted him from the screen, alarmed him. It was Vice President John Mahama’s resignation letter that was almost ready. He didn’t have the time to read the full letter. He ordered the typist to stop typing and he headed for John Mahama’s office” portions of the 396-page book contained.
It will be recalled that at the funeral ceremony of the late Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur, his widow went off script and burst out in anger to address the gathering on how her husband was treated whiles he was alive, in active service as a Vice President.
Till today, no one knows who exactly the words were addressed as she refrained from mentioning names.
She lamented, “Over the last few weeks I’ve been amazed at the number of people who have come to show us love, and I ask myself ‘is this Ghana? Are all these people in Ghana?’
“Because the maligning, the lies, the treachery, the wickedness, the deliberately changing things so that we could look better than others [and] the mischievousness…”
“Is this Ghana?” she quizzed.
Kwesi Amissah Arthur was chosen by the party to partner John Mahama as Vice President after the demise of Professor Atta Mills in July 2012. Even though the pair marginally won the 2012 election, they woefully lost the 2016 elections following various criticisms levelled at the government for their management of the economy, high levels of corruption, and the behaviour of some of former President Mahama’s appointees.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur, however, passed on in June 2018, after he collapsed during a routine workout session.
The book, “The Fourth John: Reign, Rejection and Rebound”, gives a revealing account of John Mahama’s presidency. It also chronicles the former NDC MP John Dramani Mahama’s ascension to high office.
