In 2002, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was gearing up for 2004 elections to oust the John Agyekum Kuffour’s administration. The Founder for the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings had nominated late Prof. Evans Atta Mills as the flagbearer for the election but his call was met with some resistance.
Dr. Obed Asamoah, then National Chairman for the party had invited Prof. Kwesi Botchwey to run the presidential primaries against the Founder’s nominee.
The two shared the ideology that the founder shouldn’t be allowed to dictate for the party. Though Prof. Botchwey was not against the candidature of Prof. Mills [as an old friend], he wished to break the hold Rawlings had on the NDC.
Prof. Kwabena Ahwoi noted in his book ‘Working with Rawlings’, that; “Prof. Botchwey believed that the choice of a flagbearer should not be the say-so of Jerry John Rawlings.”
“There was a need for democracy to thrive and loosen the hold of Jerry John Rawlings on NDC”
The Chairman, Dr. Asamoah at the time was bent on stopping Prof John Evans Atta Mills, who was highly favoured by the founder to be their flagbearer for the election.
He was reported to have said that; “Prof. Mills will become President of Ghana over my dead body.”