By Ebi Kesiena
John Mahama, former president of Ghana and flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged President Nana Akufo-Addo to commit to a peaceful transfer of power should he lose the 2024 elections.
Mahama emphasized that it is not within President Akufo-Addo’s authority to decide the recipient of power after the general elections.
“Please tell [President Akufo-Addo], it is not in his mouth to determine who he will hand over to.
“He should just promise that when the elections are held, whoever wins, he will hand over,” Mahama stated.
These comments were in response to President Akufo-Addo’s recent statement during a rally, where he expressed reluctance to hand over to someone he had defeated twice in previous elections.
Mahama insisted that the president must respect the will of the people. “You can’t say you won’t hand over to John Mahama. If the people of Ghana say John Mahama is who they want and they elect me, you will have to hand over to me,” he asserted.
In a related development, Mahama criticized Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame for allegedly targeting political opponents.
During a TV3 interview recently following the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit and discharge the accused in the ambulance procurement case, Mahama questioned the Attorney General’s credibility.
“I think that this Attorney-General has been discredited enough. Anywhere in the world, with the things we have seen, coaching of witnesses and discussions with witnesses, this prosecution would have been struck out as malicious prosecution.
“I believe this prosecution is malicious. He is not as robust and energetic in pursuing other cases. Even as we speak, there is an ambulance case involving this present administration which is hugely larger than what he is prosecuting, and yet he has no interest in that,” Mahama stated.
Mahama assured that if elected in the upcoming election, his administration would ensure that the Office of the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice focuses on accountability rather than engaging in political witch-hunts.
