Ghana’s President John Mills Dead

July 24th, 2012 · by Atiku Iddrisu · 1 Comment

The statement from the Presidency announcing the sad death

Professor John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana, is dead.

His sudden death occurred Tuesday afternoon at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra. Rumors about the President’s death broke out in the local and on the social media around 16:00 HRS local time only to be confirmed a few minutes later by a statement from the Presidency.

The press statement signed by the Chief of Staff, John Henry Martey Newman said: “It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the President of the Republic of Ghana – His Excellency, Professor John Evans Atta Mills. 

The death occurred at the 37 Military Hospital this afternoon while receiving medical attention after being taken ill a few hours earlier. The Vice President will broadcast to the nation in due course”.

The late President Mills

The President’s death shocked the whole country as he celebrated his 68th birthday only two days ago. President Mills, 68, is the first sitting President to have died in the political history of Ghana. He has been in power since 2009. President Mills a few weeks ago returned to Ghana after visiting the US for medical check-up.

Prof John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was born on 21st July 1944. He was the third and current President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana and was inaugurated on the 7th of January 2009, having defeated the then ruling party candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2008 election. 

He was Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry John Rawlings, and stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

At the time of filing this report, efforts were underway to swear in Vice President John Mahama as President, apparently to avoid power vacuum.