Mills stopped us protesting 2004 election results – Anyidoho

The Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress Koku Anyidoho has revealed that the late President John Evans Atta Mills prevented party members from protesting the 2004 election results.

According to Mr. Anyidoho, the majority of NDC footsoldiers and supporters wanted to hit the streets and "misbehave" after the results were first declared by the late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey of the NPP.

The 2004 election was won by former President John Agyekum Kufuor of the NPP for a second term in office.

Speaking on Starr Chat Wednesday, Mr. Anyidoho told host Bola Ray that the late President showed leadership by calling off the planned protests and asking angry party members to accept the results of the Electoral Commission.

“When the late Jake went and announced the results at the Castle gardens, we were young guys, hot-blooded and unrelenting, come on let's hit the streets and misbehave...but Professor Mills called us...and said 'so if you go onto the streets, what are you going to do. You know what, if it is the will of the people, four years will pass soon, and the people of Ghana would vote for me, so hold on',” Anyidoho said.

The late President Mills went on to contest the 2008 presidential election for the third time on the ticket of the NDC and beat NPP’s Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Mr. Anyidoho, who is fondly called the bull by people close to him, is a banker-turned-politician.

He was director of communications for the presidency and now a deputy general secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress.