Former President Jerry John Rawlings has revealed in his response to Pro. Kwamena Ahwoi’s ‘Working with Rawlings’ book that the late President, John Evans Atta Mills had instructed for the transfer of some police officers out of the Greater Accra Region after they prevented his wife from driving into a durbar ground at Afiadenyegba in Ada of the Greater Accra Region.
According to Mr. Rawlings, he had bequeathed to the National Democratic Congress and its members an etiquette of respecting chiefs and the traditional authorities as a result, government officials were not allowed to drive into durbar grounds which usually have traditional leaders present so as not to splash dust on them.
In enforcing the long-standing etiquette of the NDC, one of the police officers assigned to the durbar organized for the commissioning of a school had prevented Mrs. Mills and her convoy from driving into the durbar grounds.
Mrs. Mills who was invited by Mrs. Rawlings to the commissioning for her to be introduced to the people present as the wife of Prof. Mills, who was the then presidential candidate of the NDC for the 2000 elections, got upset with the action of the police officer and decided to leave the ceremony despite explanation by the officer.
Mrs. Rawlings arrived at the event at the sight of elderly members of her 31st December Women’s Movement (31st DWM) who were organizers of the said event on their knees in a plea to infuriated Mrs. Mills not to leave.
But their plea did little to calm her and have her stay for the commissioning ceremony until Mrs. Rawlings intervened and pleaded with her to stay for the event.
The police officer who had stopped the then 2nd Lady’s Convoy from driving into the event and his colleagues who were equally assigned to the ceremony were subsequently transferred outside Accra on the instruction of Prof. Mills at the blindside of Mr. Rawlings who was then president.
The founder of the NDC who only got to know about the transfers and demotions of the officers through a report written to the then IGP Peter Nanfuri by one of the transferred officers was displeased with the conduct of his vice president, Prof. Mills and confronted him to know why he had issued such instructions against the officers who Rawlings contends were only performing their duties.
The transfers of the officers, Mr. Rawlings revealed, were overturned following his confrontation with Pro. Mills.
“In the days that followed, it came to light that the police officer in question and his colleagues present were transferred outside of Greater Accra Region. One of the officers wrote a report to the then IGP Peter Nanfuri who also reported the entire matter to President Rawlings. Shocked and upset at the entire incident, President Rawlings asked Vice-President Mills why he would issue such instructions against the officers when they were just doing their jobs. The transfers were subsequently overturned,” the former president stated.
The former president stated that Mrs. Mills had decided to the take lead to the event although there were arranged protocols for Mrs. Rawlings and her to travel together.
