Mahama is not behaving like a statesman - Danquah Institute

The Executive Director of Danquah Institute, Dr Kingsley Nyarko thinks that former President John Mahama is not conducting himself as a statesman with his recent comments.

Dr. Kingsley Nyarko is accusing the handlers of the former President of doing him a great disservice by allowing him to make certain comments that are not in tune with his integrity as someone who once governed the country.

In a statement, he urged the former leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to elevate the standard of politics in the country by avoiding certain comments that fit in the class of ordinary members of his party.

“Mr. Mahama you need to elevate the standard of politics in the country; you need to tell the citizenry, what you can do to improve the living standards of the people, and make their lives better should you get the unlikely opportunity you are seeking to lead the country instead of sounding condescending of the President and demeaning your image. I think President Mahama should be the last person to describe anybody, let alone the high performing, competent, visionary, high flying and highly competent President Akufo-Addo as incompetent”, Dr Nyarko stated.

• 'Super incompetent' Akufo-Addo needs 'Obinim’s sticker' - Mahama

The statement was in response to a call by Mr Mahama for President Akufo-Addo and his government to go for Bishop Obinim’s sticker to help cure their ‘super incompetence’.

The sticker which is said to work wonders, the former President said must be given to the sitting President and his government so they can perform better.

The trend is based on hilarious and outrageous claims people are making and attributing it to a miraculous sticker from Bishop Daniel Obinim, the founder, and leader of International God’s Way Church.

Apparently, church members of Obinim give testimonies at his church regarding the wonderful things the sticker has done for them ever since they bought it. And that has sparked the Obinim Sticker Challenge On Social Media.

But Mr Mahama, addressing NDC members in Wa in the Upper West Region, said the sticker is needed for Akufo-Addo and his team to perform.

“I have been watching social media lately, and there’s something that has come, and I think it cures everything. It’s the Obinim sticker, the President and his government need an Obinim sticker. If it really works, then I think they need the sticker. So I am saying that we cannot depend on their incompetence, we need to work hard to gain the support of the electorate,” Mahama said.

But Dr Nyarko, a former lecturer at the University of Ghana Department of Psychology believes the former President must grow beyond such comments in his public discourse.

Below is a copy of the statement

I thought former President Mahama’s comment about President Akufo-Addo needing Obinim’s sticker was a joke, until I heard him speak on TV3 a while ago.

In fact, that comment doesn’t reflect a Statesman and I think his handlers are doing him a great disservice.

If he continues with comments like this, he will be exposing himself to public ridicule all the time.

What Prez Mahama is doing clearly shows a drowning and desperate man seeking straw to survive in order to be relevant and increase his chances of leading his party in the 2020 presidential contest.

But, Mr. Mahama you need to elevate the standard of politics in the country; you need to tell the citizenry, what you can do to improve the living standards of the people, and make their lives better should you get the unlikely opportunity you are seeking to lead the country instead of sounding condescending of the President and demeaning your image.

I think President Mahama should be the last person to describe anybody, let alone the high performing, competent, visionary, high flying and highly competent President Akufo-Addo as incompetent.

Mr. Mahama should tell us, apart from sinking the economy, performing poorly on all the macroeconomic indicators, making life for the citizenry unbearable, promoting unprecedented corruption in the country among others, what competent policy he rolled out to soothe our economic pains and challenges? Nothing! Yet, he speaks as if he did anything unique for the country. His handlers are making him look bad and behaving not like a Statesman!

God bless Ghana!!

Dr. Kingsley Nyarko

(Executive Director, Danquah Institute)