A man who has described himself as a bosom friend of late President, Jerry John Rawlings, Riad Hosiefe has revealed how the late former President became fond of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo despite the two being mutual enemies in the past.
According to him, Rawlings said the NPP leader rather made him feel like a former Head of State and therefore was willing to support his second term bid.
“Rawlings told me President Akufo-Addo made him feel like Head of State. He sent him to many places to represent Ghana,” he said in an interview on Asempa FM.
He continued: “Jerry Rawlings supported Nana in the election for his kind gesture because he [Rawlings] is an honest man”.
He was grateful to the President for organizing such a befitting burial for the statesmen.
“My President Nana, I bow my head for giving Jerry Rawlings state burial.”
It could be remembered that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in an address indicated that his relationship with the late former President became firm when he became President and her [Akufo-Addo] informed him of taking advise from him.
“He [Rawlings] was the first President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. I came to meet him [Mr Rawlings], John Agyekum Kuffuor, and John Mahama as former Presidents of the country. So I thought to myself that these former heads of state might have a couple of advice to help me govern the country.
“So I informed him that once in a while I will contact him and seek his advice on issues so that he can share his experiences with me. So that is how it [our cordial relationship] began,” he said.
Following their occasional interactions, President Akufo-Addo said they came to see the value in each other, adding that “I don’t regret it at all. I don’t regret our differences before and I don’t regret [our relationship] in the end,” he said.
The President acknowledged that “He and I had a tempestuous relationship in over many years. But I believe that we came to see value in each other – that’s how I put it – at the end”.
