Hold thy peace; allow Mahama space to work

“So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel: First, competition; second, dissidence; third, glory.” – Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679).

There have been subtle campaigns in recent times, especially on social media, by some interest groups within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for their preferred candidates to take over from President John Dramani Mahama at the expiration of his second term in office after December, 2028.

Ordinarily, this should be normal and expected, especially given the fact that Article 66 (2) of the 1992 Constitution, if it remains as it is now, will not allow President John Dramani Mahama to hold office as President of Ghana for more than two terms.

When President Mahama and the NDC lost the 2016 elections to Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), some Ghanaians said he had paid his political dues, climbing the political ladder from the district assembly level up to a deputy minister, substantive Minister, Vice-President, and President.

So, to such people, it was enough, and it was time for him to quit active partisan politics.

Silent competition

Students of politics and some Ghanaians have been observing with keen interest events surrounding the seemingly silent competition brewing among some of the stalwarts in the NDC regarding who to succeed President Mahama going into the 2028 elections.

The undercurrents of the competition are likely to create dissension in attempts by interested parties to gain glory over others, and that certainly will not be healthy for the party going into the 2028 elections.

Undeniably, some prominent names within the top echelons of the party have already been mentioned and are gaining momentum in the social media space. I believe that all such personalities have what it takes to lead the NDC into the 2028 elections, but isn’t it too early for such an agenda to be pursued?

It is important, however, to place on record that none of these personalities being mentioned has openly declared any intent by stating their interest in succeeding President Mahama, even though some of them have shown by conduct to do so. Some media persons have already openly begun endorsing some of these high-ranking party officials for their presidential bid for the NDC.

Nominations

One could say that these are not official, since the party has not opened nominations for expressions of intent or interest for eligible party members to contest the Presidential primaries to lead the NDC for the December 2028 elections; but it is without doubt that underground promotions of these individuals to the rank and file of the party and the general public are rife.

Already, some individuals are gradually forming support groups for their preferred candidates to project them to succeed President Mahama, but other sections of the public and supporters of the party think that it is just too early for such underground movements to be activated.

Whichever way, one of them will certainly win to lead the party when the time comes.

I share similar sentiments on the matter.

My candid opinion is that President Mahama has just crossed his first half of one year in office.

He has three and a half years more to go.

He has moved with such unprecedented speed in his road map to resetting Ghana, knowing that time is not on his side, per the huge expectations of the Ghanaian people following the massive victory of the NDC in the 2024 general election.

President Mahama has just completed his full list of 60 Ministers and Deputy Ministers per his 2024 campaign promise. He has just launched the 24-hour economy.

He has just fulfilled his promise of the “no fees stress” policy for first-year university students; no E-Levy; no betting tax; no emission tax; the dollar has moved from ¢17.00 to ¢10.35; 15 per cent; increment of data prices; inflation dropped to 13.3 per cent; and DStv to soon reduce subscription fee by 30 per cent.

Peace and Tranquility

It is based on these, and the fact that the government needs peace and tranquility to remain focused on the resetting Ghana agenda, that it is apparent for all Ghanaians, especially “party faithful”, to allow President Mahama some big space in these early days of his second term to deliver on his mandate, since any further escalation of such underground manoeuvres may likely become serious distractions to the fortunes of the party around this time and may affect the needed cohesion for victory in 2028.

It will be in the interest of these high-ranking personalities to advise their supporters and promoters to pause for a while.

The NDC has a lot to gain, now that it is enjoying a high level of goodwill and confidence from Ghanaians, as depicted by the latest polls of the Global Info Analytics Limited, making the party more attractive to the electorate for the 2028 elections.

This way, whoever becomes the flag bearer would have very solid grounds to launch his campaign for victory in December 2028.  

Successor

The NDC will certainly select a successor to President Mahama.

So, like many other individuals, I also have my preference within the names that have so far featured prominently in the media space, and when the time comes, I will surely declare it and fully use my media space to effectively support and promote him.

Until then, let us all hold our peace and allow President Mahama the maximum peaceful environment to deliver on his campaign promises to reset Ghana.

This way, we shall surely avoid all three principal causes of quarrel as identified by Thomas Hobbes in his book, Leviathan (1651).
       
The writer is a journalist /student of 
Political Science & Law.
E-mail: ambroseentsiwah@gmail.com