Following reports by Ghanaian business mogul, Sir Sam Jonah, that he turned down an offer from Jerry John Rawlings to become his running mate in 1992 and 1996, Host of Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom-Otchere, has quashed those claims.
According to him, the biography of Sir Sam Jonah shows that Rawlings did not ask him to be his running mate in 1996.
Reading excerpts of the book on his show and monitored by GhanaWeb, Paul Adom Otchere said, "When it came to the 1996 vice presidential nomination, Rawlings did not ask Jonah again if he was interested in the position..."
He further said, "It means that JJ Rawlings held Sam Jonah in high esteem at that time. It also means by the time JJ Rawlings passed unfortunately in 2020, his views on Sam Jonah and his relationship has grossly deteriorated."
Sam Jonah in an earlier report said he was given the offer on a silver platter in 1992 and 1996.
However, page 148 of Sir Sam Jonah's biography contradicts his earlier report.
Sir Sam Jonah who was reacting to recent speculations of his name being under consideration for the running mate slot of the John Mahama ticket for the 2024 elections reiterated his earlier stance that he is committed to his business and has no plan of taking up a political position.
In a statement to Metro TV’s ‘Good Evening Ghana’ he said, “Anyone who knows me well will attest to the fact that I have no interest whatsoever in going into the murky world of politics."
“As a matter of fact, if I was interested, I would have been Vice President in 1992 and 1996 when I was offered the position on a silver platter,” he explained.
The confirmation of the approaches by persons close to Rawlings and the rejection by Sir Sam Jonah were captured in his biography authored by AA Taylor.
Sir Sam Jonah was viewed as the man who bridged the gap between Rawlings, the business, and the elite class who had been very critical of his administration.
