According to Prof. Ahwoi, reports that the NDC founder beat up then Vice President Kow Arkaah are untrue.
“Rawlings didn’t beat him [Arkaah]. But there was an incident and both of them fell [onto] the floor. But Commodore Steve Obimpeh, who was a military person, was sitting next to Arkaah so he went very quickly, jumped into them and separated them and Arkaah left there [the cabinet meeting],” Prof Ahwoi told Citi News in an interview.
Ahwoi, Ghana's longest-serving minister for local government continued: “At the time he [Arkaah] was leaving [the meeting], his suit wasn’t torn but we all later saw a picture with his suit torn. [He did that] because he went to the then IGP to report that he had been assaulted by President Rawlings so he needed evidence.”
Prof Kwamena Ahwoi who indicated that he was at the said cabinet meeting explained that the incident between Rawlings and Arkaah was of such a nature that “his [Arkaah] coat would not have been torn”.
Kow Nkensen Arkaah, a flagbearer of the then National Convention Party (NCP), prior to the 1992 presidential polls, became the vice-presidential candidate to Jerry John Rawlings following an alliance between the NDC, NCP and EGLE party, the so-called Progressive Alliance.