Veteran Nigerian actor Chief Pete Edochie has returned to Ghana carrying fond memories of his friendship with former President Jerry John Rawlings, saying the late Ghanaian leader’s death remains deeply painful to him.
Edochie, who arrived in Ghana on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for the Accra Legacy Week, recalled his last meeting with Rawlings and said their physical resemblance had often sparked speculation that they were related.
According to the veteran actor, he and Rawlings developed a close friendship during his previous visit to Ghana, when they spent considerable time together discussing a range of issues.
“I tell you the truth, I’m sad. You know, the last time I was in Ghana, I visited him. We had a very good time together. We discussed extensively, and he promised me he was going to come to Nigeria,” Edochie recalled.
The actor said the resemblance between them became a subject of discussion after photographs of the two were circulated in Nigeria.
“When I got to Nigeria, a lot of people had seen the photograph of the two of us and they were telling me, look, this man is your brother actually,” he said.
Beyond their appearance, Edochie noted that he and Rawlings shared another striking connection — they were both born in 1947, only three months apart.
“I was born in March of 1947. He was born in June. We were born three months apart,” he said.
Edochie also recounted the shock he experienced when he first received news of Rawlings’ death in November 2020.
He said that after calling Ghana following reports about the death of Rawlings’ mother, the person he spoke to informed him that the former president had also died.
“I said, you’re mad,” Edochie recalled, explaining that he initially struggled to believe the information.
When he was later approached by journalists for his reaction to Rawlings’ death, Edochie said he described the loss in deeply personal terms.
“I lost a brother, but okay, that’s the way God wants it,” he said.
His return to Ghana has consequently revived memories of the former president, with Edochie admitting that knowing he would not meet Rawlings again made the visit emotionally difficult.
“So, you know, coming to Ghana and knowing I will not see my friend Rawlings is… I don’t know. Well, I tried to cope with it,” he said.
The actor also expressed a desire to visit Rawlings’ grave during his stay in Ghana to pay his respects.
“If I have time, depending on my producer, I would like to go to his grave. I want to pay some respect to him when I go to his grave,” he said.
Edochie is in Ghana for the Accra Legacy Week, where the Legacy Project is celebrating his decades-long contribution to African cinema, storytelling and culture, while documenting his experiences for future generations.
He is among a group of Nigerian film veterans attending the event, including Destiny Etiko, Mike Ezuruonye, Kanayo O. Kanayo, Francis Odega and Patience Ozorkwor.
