Ahwois Are Subjecting Mills To "Financial Terrorism" - Spio

Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, a former National Vice Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress has virtually accused the President of not being in control of the nation�s affairs, suggesting that Prof John Evans Atta Mills�s actions are being dictated to him by the Ahwoi brothers. The three Ahwoi brothers, Ato, Kwamena and Kwesi are all senior members of the Mills administration. Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show of Friday May 20, 2011 Dr Spio-Garbrah said the President has not been able to fulfil some of his promises, including a promise to appoint him Ghana�s Foreign Affairs Minister, due to the control exercised on him mostly by the Ahwois and other unnamed persons at the Presidency. Prior to becoming President, critics and his political opponents suggested that Prof Mills will turn out to be a leader who will be remote-controlled by former president Jerry John Rawlings, who brought him into political limelight. Dr Spio-Garbrah concedes that the President has so far proved that he cannot be controlled by the NDC Founder, but insists the President has shown he cannot wean himself of the control of the Ahwoi brothers. �When the President of the Republic of Ghana, duly sworn in, with all the powers of that position, looks in my face and tells me �I�d like to give you this position� and somebody else should tell him that �if you give him this position, its over my dead body, we shan�t work with you,� and those people are holding his campaign funds, and therefore he feels trapped, then I feel that it�s a kind of intimidation, a kind of financial terrorism that is being applied at the presidency,� he stated. �He (President Mills) said to me, that when I become president� Ekwow Spio-Garbrah will be the first person that I will make a minister in my government� And then he told the Ahwois and others also that if some day he is not willing or able to run as President I was the one that he would want to support. And of course they found that very unpleasant because they also had their own plans, and possibly one of them could also be the president, so since that day I�ve been a target of their anger and frustration.� Asked if he was referring to Mr Ato Ahwoi, who is a key right hand man of the President, when he stated that somebody other than the President was the one calling the shots at the Presidency, Dr Spio-Garbrah stated: �Well, I don�t know who is calling all the shots, but certainly when it comes to certain shots, at least those that I�m familiar with, a president cannot look in my eye and tell me what he thinks he plans to do and somehow he cannot do it, it means there�s a problem. And it�s happened more than twice.� Dr Spio-Garbrah recently picked nomination forms to run for the position of NDC flagbearer for 2012. He told Citi News his decision to run for the position was influenced by a myriad of serious problems bedeviling party and country. He said he could pull out of the race to unseat the President if Prof Mills does what he calls �the right thing.�