Accomplished business mogul, Sir Sam Jonah recently revealed that he twice turned down advances from the Jerry John Rawlings administration to serve as running mate and consequently Vice President.
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.
Excerpts of the book reproduced by Paul Adom-Otchere on his Good Evening Ghana show details how Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, the wife of the late J.J. Rawlings and a relative of Sir Sam Jonah made strenuous effort to get him to partner her husband in the 1992 elections.
Per the narrative captured by Adom-Otchere, J.J. Rawlings was under intense pressure from some leading members of the National Democratic Congress, including the Ahwoi brothers to select Ekow Nkensen Akaah as his vice presidential candidate.
Though Rawlings was not entirely against Ekow Akaah, he was not completely sold on his competence and abilities either.
Rawlings, per the book, had Sir Sam Jonah as his first choice because he ticked a number of boxes in the upcoming elections.
Sir Sam Jonah was viewed as the man who bridged the gap between Rawlings and the business and elite class who had been very critical of his administration.
Also owing to Sam Jonah’s Akan background, it was believed that he was going to deliver the votes from the Akan communities.
However, Nana Konadu’s charge to pair her relative with her husband for the 1992 elections did not work as Sir Sam Jonah turned down the proposal.
According to the narrative, Sir Sam Jonah communicated his decision to his sister, Nana Konadu via phone but the then first lady did not take it kindly.
After a lengthy conversation, Nana Konadu in quite an unhappy tone told Sir Sam Jonah “Kwesi, I’m very disappointed. An invitation to the second highest position of the land and you treat it so casually? You don’t even reflect on it?”.
The story continues that Sir Sam Jonah, sensing that Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings was unhappy with his decision, tried to calm things down by saying “I only put it you like this because you are my sister but when you speak to the chief, I know as my sister, you will put him differently.”
Nana Konadu was, per the excerpt of the book, still not happy with the decision by Sir Sam Jonah and how it was communicated to her.
Adom-Otchere went to recount other happenings between Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and Sir Sam Jonah over the issue.
