Leader and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress John Dramani Mahama has suggested President Nana Addo is guilty of making derogatory comments about his political opponents, hence has lost the moral right to complain about similar tags on him.
According to the former President, the failure of the President to eschew such acts and also reprimand his followers and appointees who make similar comments strips him off the right to get angry when he is also called names.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has been responding to comments shared by John Dramani Mahama on his Facebook page that described a group of persons behind a controversial transaction as sakawa, another popular name for fraudsters.
President Nana Addo further called out non-political figures and institutions for not condemning the former President’s post.
“This name calling and insulting, seems to be a feature of Ghanaian public life which is…but sometimes one will hope that when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent [Akyem Sakawa people]. I have not heard any public independent figure in this country and yourselves comment on it. It is completely unacceptable,” the president said in a meeting with leaders of the Catholic Bishops conference.
But Mr. John Dramani Mahama has explained that the article he shared made reference to a group of people around the President but not the entire Akyem tribe.
“The head of our Manifesto Drafting Committee, Prof Danso Barfuor, is an Akyem and they have all contributed to our government and our forward march to recapture power in the December elections in order that we can create jobs, spread development in an equitable manner throughout the country,”Mr. Mahama said.
He argued that “President Nana Akufo-Addo has lost the right to complain a long time ago. He was an opposition leader who called Presidents before him anything you can imagine, including ‘Prof Do Little’ and then he described somebody as a ‘Simpa Panyin’ and I don’t want to repeat the others things he said”.
Mr. Mahama forcefully stated that the standard for the President to get angry has eluded him.
While admonishing President Nana Addo to control his temperament, John Mahama added that “I think that temperament in leadership is very important and there are many things a president should attend to and you must not appear, in public, to have lost your cool. He seemed very angry, that’s true but I think he should maintain his temperament to come across as a good leader”.
