Salam Mustapha, the National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called upon the youth of Ghana to refrain from re-electing John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He emphasized that Mahama’s presidency was marked by a disorganized and ineffective administration.
We witnessed his shambolic performance as president which saw your parents losing their jobs or customers because of ‘dumsor’. Yes, four years of President John Mahama was four years of dumsor. And, when his government realised that they could become rich merchants of dumsor, they went ahead recklessly to sign excess take-or-pay power purchasing agreements (PPAs) that by the time NPP took over the Ghana government was forced to pay up to $1 billion a year mainly for power we did not need and we did not use.
He remembered while speaking to the press in Bolgatanga on Friday. He stated that it was only recently that the Akufo-Addo administration succeeded in persuading several companies to agree to revised agreements.
Imagine the billions of dollars wasted on excess power that Mahama contracted and what it could have been used. Is this the president we should bring back for another four years after which he would not be accountable to you? It is shocking that John Mahama still harbours this silly dream of becoming president again. For what exactly, we all don’t know. We want to ask John Mahama, has he left something at the Jubilee House that we are unaware. He should tell the good people of Ghana so we can retrieve it for him to go home and rest in peace.
He asserts that John Mahama took over an economy abundant in oil resources, and in the absence of any global crises, he managed to generate his own crisis.
By 2014, the cedi had become the poorest-performing currency, leading Ghana to seek an IMF bailout in 2015, and by 2016, the Unemployed Young Graduates Association was established in the country.
At some point, he gave up and said he wasn’t a magician to provide jobs. He told us that he had run down the economy and that the flesh was all gone and left with bones. Schools did not even have common chalk! The situation was hopeless. The leader himself was rudderless and inept.
He characterized John Mahama as an indolent president, further noting that in an interview, Mahama stated he typically arrived at the office by 10 am and departed by 4 pm.
In his entire stay in office as president, his cabinet met just about 40 times. Ladies and gentlemen that’s less than once a month! The civil servants at the presidency during Mahama’s time in office told us stories of loitering around with nothing to do. The vice president Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur clocked more working hours than his boss. He reported to his office daily at 8 am sharp and often worked through 7 pm. No wonder why by 2018, Mr Amissah Arthur had set up a campaign office in East Legon, Accra, preparing to contest John Mahama for the leadership of the NDC. But, we all know what happened to him. He too died, suddenly and mysteriously.
The National Youth Organizer of the NPP revealed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo remains in the office and continues to work past midnight, and he abstains from consuming alcohol.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia also does not drink alcohol. He is not lazy. He comes up with solutions like DRIP to provide construction equipment to fix our roads in our districts and not to buy private cars for pretty women for all manner of benefits. This is the stark difference between a serious person and a person who leads for the perks. John Mahama just did not take his job seriously then and would not take it seriously if you made the mistake of bringing him back. Now that he doesn’t have to account for his leadership and seek another term, he would be worse.
Mr. Mustapha remarked that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is effectively represented by the exceptionally capable and dynamic Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, whereas the principal opposition party is represented by the consistently unsuccessful former president, John Mahama.
These two candidates are in full gear of their campaigns and have put forward their manifestos which contain the policies that they intend to implement once they get the mandate of the Ghanaian people. It is obvious that the track record and character of these two men will be put to strict scrutiny and should help form the basis of our decision. Fortunately for us, these two are known within our body politic.
