Home - Kow Nkensen Arkaah: The politician who became running mate to both NDC and NPP alliances

Kow Nkensen Arkaah remains one of the few figures in Ghana’s political history whose career spanned the country’s two major traditions, having served as running mate in alliances involving both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Born on July 14, 1927, in Senya Breku in the Central Region, Arkaah first entered national politics as leader of the National Convention Party (NCP).

Following Ghana’s return to constitutional rule in 1992, the NCP allied with Jerry John Rawlings’ NDC, making Arkaah Rawlings’ running mate in the 1992 presidential election.

The alliance won the election, and Arkaah became Ghana’s first Vice-President under the Fourth Republic when the new constitutional order took effect in January 1993.

His tenure, however, was marked by growing disagreements with Rawlings and the government over several issues.

Arkaah developed a reputation for his outspoken nature and willingness to challenge decisions within government.

His disagreements with Rawlings reached a dramatic point in December 1995 when he alleged that the president had physically confronted him during a Cabinet meeting.

The incident, which became widely known as the Cabinet fracas, further strained relations between the two men and reinforced Arkaah’s image as the politically independent ‘Stubborn Cat.’

Despite the tensions, Arkaah remained Vice-President until the end of his term in 1997. But even before leaving office, he had made another remarkable move that cemented his unusual place in Ghana’s political history.

In the 1996 presidential election, Arkaah joined the opposition forces under the Great Alliance and became the running mate to John Agyekum Kufuor, the presidential candidate of the NPP.

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This meant that Arkaah, while serving as Vice-President in an NDC administration, had switched political alliances and was now contesting the same election against his former political partner, Rawlings.

The Kufuor-Arkaah ticket lost the 1996 election to Rawlings and his new running mate, Professor John Evans Atta Mills.

Arkaah subsequently continued his political activities and became associated with the Convention People's Party (CPP).

Arkaah’s political journey therefore stands out for a rare distinction: he served as a running mate in presidential alliances involving both the NDC and the NPP, first alongside Rawlings in 1992 and later alongside Kufuor in 1996.

Beyond politics, Arkaah was an accomplished technocrat and businessman.

He had studied at Mfantsipim School between 1941 and 1946 and Achimota College before pursuing higher education in the United States, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He also held senior positions at institutions including Ghana Airways, the Ghana National Trading Corporation and the Ghana National Procurement Agency.

He also served his community as the Tufuhene of the Senya Beraku Traditional Area.

Arkaah died on April 25, 2001, in Atlanta, Georgia, aged 73, following complications arising from injuries sustained in a road accident in Cantonments, Accra.

His political career remains notable not only for his confrontation with the Rawlings administration but also for the unusual path that saw him serve as running mate to presidential candidates from two different political alliances in successive elections.

MRA/EB

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