In a smart move to overturn the comments made by the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, that Ghana is on a time bomb and ripe for coup d’état after receiving a public bashing, former President John Dramani Mahama has pleaded with Ghanaians to obey the law and not consider supporting any potential coup d’état in the country.
The NDC Chairman, last week, when speaking on Joy News said, “Ghana is more than ripe for a coup d’état but the only thing that is saving us is the tolerance of Ghanaians. If you look at our history, you will see that the things that have led to previous coup d’états in this country were even less than what is happening now. But the only thing that is saving us is the tolerance and our collective history’’.
According to Mr. Nketiah, although time is long overdue for the seizure of power and the return of autocratic governance, what is keeping Ghana from descending into chaos is the remarkable tolerance of Ghanaians.
He further explained that “There may be situations that you don’t like and you may be tempted to think that nowhere can be worse than where we are now, so let us disrupt. You’ll disrupt, you will have some relief, but the relief will be short-lived and the relief can lead you into another problem where the new leaders may equally be intransigent. So it will mean that you’ve not solved the problem and that knowledge by Ghanaians is what we’re hanging on to now’’.
He claimed he believed that the citizens have reflected on the nation’s history, a history marred by various coups that had been triggered by circumstances less severe than the ongoing incidents.
Mahama Defence
However, Mr. Mahama when speaking at the 3rd National Conference of Imams and Regional Imams of Ghana in Kumasi, said despite the nation’s current economic difficulties, planning a coup should not even be a last resort.
In reaction to Asiedu Nketiah’s comments backing recent coups in several West African nations, including Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Niger, Mr. Mahama criticized the Akufo-Addo-led administration for how it has handled the management of the country’s affairs.
Speaking briefing, the former President, now NDC flagbearer lamented that “We told NPP the path they were taking was dangerous but our advice fell on deaf ears. And that is the reason we are where we are today and we are all facing the challenges.
So we all have to help get out of this mess. But we would have to adhere to constitutional governance so that we are not swayed by the alternative of coups’’.
“We should know that no matter the hardship there will be the opportunity for an election for different people to be elected. It is only left with a year for us to say goodbye to some people and welcome others who can fix the economy. So let’s continue respecting the Constitution. We should never think of coups and everything will be fine,” Mahama noted.
BY Daniel Bampoe