Asantehene Was Instrumental In Me Becoming Prof Mills’ Running Mate- Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has revealed how the current Occupant of the Golden Stool, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, influenced his assumption of the role of running mate of the late former President Prof John Evans Atta Mills.

This was prior to the 2008 elections, he recalled during a visit by the King to the Jubilee House on June 2, 2025.

According to him, this was at a time when he was thinking of retiring from politics entirely.

“The first prof Mills sent Baffoe Bonney of blessed memory and  team to come and tell he wanted me to be his running mate…my response was no.”

He said a second group was sent to him who also got a negative response and took the intervention of the Asantehene to accept the request.

“One day I was in Accra when I got a call that Otumfuo wanted to see me at Manhyia. Who am I, so I got up and went. When I got there His Majesty said, ‘So you are the one who has refused to be the running mate of Prof Mills? You will take the role.’ He said ‘when your country calls you, you can’t refuse.’ He said, ‘I was sitting in London when the Kingdom called me. You can’t refuse such calls’.”

“When Otumfuo makes a request who are you to refuse? When Otumfuo came to Accra, I went to him and told him I would accept it but would do it for just one term then he said, ‘even if you do it for one day, you have accepted it’.”

President Mahama thus admitted that Otumfuo played a pivotal role in realising his calling.

“His Majesty was instrumental in me becoming the running mate of Prof Mills and of course, we went on to win {the elections} and everything else is history.”

He used the occasion to express his heartfelt gratitude to the King for grooming him through his counsels.

Source: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/