John Mahama
There is a dirge of despair, desperation and depression about the future of John Mahama, his NDC and apparatchiks.
The words and deeds of the NDC and its followers have reduced this year’s election into a do-or-die affair, hence anybody or institutions opposed to their “reset” agenda must pay the ultimate price.
John Mahama sees every challenge in any electioneering as a ploy by some imaginary enemies who are bent on preventing his return to power.
Thus, the narratives from the corridors of the NDC, especially John Mahama and Asiedu Nketia, are unbecoming of personalities who are regarded as statesmen. If the NDC functional leaders care to know, many well-meaning Ghanaians are wondering whether there is a deficit in “sensible” people in the party, just like how it was during the era of Jerry John Rawlings where personalities such as D.F. Annan, Nathan Quao and Kojo Tsikata kept him within the narrow path of wisdom and statesmanship.
Today, the NDC can boast the presence of people such as Kofi Totobi Quakyi, the Ahwoi brothers, Huudu Yahaya and Mahama Iddrisu, but it appears they have been sidelined or they do not want to associate with John Mahama’s disaster on the campaign trail.
Our former President John Mahama does not showcase himself as a statesman, who once upon a time was accorded the high honour of the President of the Republic and Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.
Perhaps, he has refused to heed the wise counsel of young political firebrand, Julius Malema, when he asked former presidents in Africa to refrain from making the governance of their successors challenging.
In the run-up to the 2016 general election, John Mahama caused Metro Mass Transit buses to be decorated with his pictures at state expense, which was exposed by the media as a scandal, but the opposition leader then, Nana Akufo-Addo did not incite NPP supporters to vandalise the buses.
Again, John Mahama, at state expense, awarded a contract to his friend, owner of rlg, to produce laptops for schools and journalists, but nobody incited Ghanaians to vandalise the laptops. Fast forward to 2024, the Akufo-Addo government in response to public outcry for the country’s roads to be fixed, decided to introduce a project called the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP), under which road construction equipment were supplied to all district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies in the country.
John Mahama, in the most unpatriotic manner, ordered his party supporters to vandalise the road construction equipment that are decorated with NPP paraphernalia. John Mahama asked Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to direct his parliamentary candidates to remove their posters from the DRIP equipment, saying the equipment belong to all Ghanaians, not just the NPP.
He went ahead to ask NDC party supporters to remove the posters if they spot the equipment with NPP posters. Following the lawless directive by John Mahama, his supporters went on rampage, attacking the equipment and NPP supporters for daring to publicly showcase the construction machines.
In a case in the Gomoa area, the NDC parliamentary candidate is reported to have fired a gun, while in the Tain area, a man wearing an NDC t-shirt is alleged to have stolen the battery of one of the equipment. We should all condemn these abominable acts by NDC apparatchiks across the country.
However, the NPP supporters across the country should not only celebrate the DRIP initiative, they should stand up to the NDC cowardice, nonsense and nation-wrecking gimmicks. If the NDC buoyed by the loose talk of John Mahama continues, state power must be used to compel them to put up with the civilised norms of our society.
The NDC has an agenda. That is to make the country ungovernable. We appeal to the President of the Republic to safeguard the peace and security of the country so that peace-loving people can go about their legitimate business. Those who want to exercise their limbs by walking long distances in protest against the Electoral Commission, must be allowed to engage in “the organised waste of time.”
Meanwhile, the most serious political party, Veep Bawumia’s NPP will continue to engage the people with his policies to solve the problems of the country.