John Dramani Mahama
In recent times, we have received couple of readers’ letters urging us to end our criticisms of the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama.
And because our readers mean a lot to us, we decided to review our editorial policy in so far as it relates to the NDC flagbearer.
John Mahama, however, makes that option very difficult.
We have our editorial orientation, but we hold onto it like a badge of honour like the Gospel but we cannot deviate from our goal of holding our leaders to their words and deeds.
Every Ghanaian accepts that we are headed for a crucial election in December that can make or unmake our democracy, which so far, is the beacon of hope on a continent ravaged by poverty, disease and squalor. That is why, every occasion is used by our leaders, Spiritual and Temporal, to appeal to the people to preserve the country’s peace, security and stability.
However, John Mahama and his NDC apparatchiks leave no stone unturned to beat the war drums on issues on which they hold divergent opinion. The NDC has raised issues with the electoral roll and even with the recent voters’ exhibition exercise, and even demanded live coverage of its engagement with the Electoral Commission (EC). Very ridiculous and outrageous!
We say so because the issues raised by the NDC, came up during the 2012, 2016 and 2020 elections, which the EC used its internal mechanisms to resolve. The stakeholders, including the political parties that raised the issues, did not insist to be referees of their own matches like NDC’s Asiedu Nketia demands of the EC.
The NDC is always looking for an excuse to live its revolutionary roots of “a violent political party.”
If the NDC means well for our democratic process and for that matter Ghana, its serial presidential candidate, John Mahama, will be consistent with his critique of the EC, no matter who is the Chairperson. He will not have affection for his “darling girl” Charlotte Osei and show hatred for Jean Mensa because she declared him loser of the 2020 polls, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court following the 2021 petition by the NDC. While John Mahama will not miss any opportunity to call Jean Mensa to order, he has very soft spot for Charlotte Osei.
Our claim is based on evidence but the NDC’s guard dogs in civil society, media and academia who suffer from short memories would descend on us.
We have always based our arguments on facts, especially inconsistent and hypocritical statements made by John Mahama. If prior to the 2016 elections, he asked the opposition NPP and other stakeholders to leave his darling girl, Charlotte Osei alone to do her work, why is he not extending the same courtesies to Jean Mensa?
John Mahama, a few weeks to Election 2016, at a rally in Funsi in the Upper West Region, described election rigging allegations against Charlotte Osei as “absurd nonsense.” Addressing Muslims at the Black Star Square in Accra, in 2016, he asked the people to give the Charlotte Osei-led EC, “peace of mind to do her work, because the EC has the track record.” Listen to John Mahama’s assessment of Jean Mensa in 2023 when he claimed the EC was doing the bid of the ruling NPP, saying, “the hostility of the Chairperson of the EC and her other Commissioners to one political party is legendary.”
As recently as August 28, 2024, hear the salvos that were fired at the Jean Mensa-led EC. He issued a stern warning to the Electoral Commission during his Greater Accra regional tour to “sit up” and “wake up” to avoid any confusion on Election Day.
We urge Jean Mensa and her team to stay focused on their mandate to yet again conduct free, fair, credible and transparent elections that represent the sovereign will of the people.
Madam Chair, we know you have the capacity, the flair and the know-how to conduct another election of global acclaim to sustain Ghana as the democratic “icon” on the African continent ravaged by bad governance practices to silence John Mahama, the NDC and their allies in academia, media, civil society and faith-based organisations.