President John Mahama erred badly in his tribal comments against Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the vice-presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kofi Bentil, Vice President of IMANI Ghana, has said.
President Mahama, addressing party supporters in Lawra as part of his campaign tour of the Upper West Region, urged the electorate not to be deceived by the role Dr Bawumia was playing in the NPP because he will never be given the opportunity to lead the party.
He said: “Alhaji Aliu Mahama was vice president under the NPP government. He served faithfully under President Kufuor and, so, when eight years was up and President Kufuor was leaving, the natural order of succession is that he should have been given the opportunity to lead that party, but 17 people contested him and defeated him and that is why I say NDC is a party of opportunity because if NDC wasn’t, who am I? A boy from Bole born in Damongo, who am I to stand here and call myself president of the Republic of Ghana?
“[The NDC] is the party that opens its opportunities to all Ghanaians irrespective of what your ethnic affiliation is. Sometimes I feel sad when I see some of our northern brothers running around and also doing this. … They will use you and dump you. I want to live and see the day. Let anything happen today and let our brother Bawumia say he is standing for president in NPP. They will never give it to him, I can assure you. When the misfortune hit us and our father Professor Mills passed away, the constitution said the vice president should take over, I did. But then we were close to an election. If it was another party, they would have insisted that there should be a congress and in that congress I would have been contested and they would have given the leadership to somebody else.”
But in a Facebook post, Mr Bentil said: “Tribal politics is never a good idea; let’s all eschew it. ... Mr President, you erred badly... See…if northerners were to consider what their kin have done against them in SADA and related scandals, they would vote massively against NDC. ... If Akans were to vote as a tribal unit for NPP, no party would win any election in Ghana!!!”
He added: “Say no to tribal politics!!”
Source: Classfmonline
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
Ah Ghanaians, why do we shun the facts. Mahama was very right to say what it is. Aliu Mahama after all that he did for NPP, was given that BAD treatment which must be talked about. Is it because it is Mahama who said it? TRUTH is always TRUE. wa ka a, wa ka. Those who are condemning that statement must know that it can never be an instigation for violence. They are only making unfounded noise.
I knew right from day one that mahama was vice president that, Ghana is in trouble . . . coz he is one person who has never talk sense even when he was an mp, let alone given the mandate to rule the country. Anyway no one gave u the mandate you killed to take over, knowing well the ndc will automatically let u rule when atta is not there . . .
It is nauseating if not ***barred word*** for a president from the minority north preaching tribalism in an election against an opponent from the majority south. I agree in-to-to with Bentil, if all northerners vote for John and all southerner vote for Nana, the verdict will be catastrophic. say no to xenophobia.
I think you have all not understood your Mahama. In short, what he is trying to tell Bawumiah is that, if he Bawumia does not break his President Akuffo-Addo's neck like he Mahama & Co did to Atta-Mills, he will never become president like him!
IF THIS IS THE MENTALITY OF THE PRESIDENT WHO IS LEADING GHANA THEN I CALL ALL AKANS WHO VOTE FOR NDC TO WISE UP. BY THE WAY THE FIRST NORTHERN PRESIDENT OF THIS COUNTRY WAS NOT OVERTHROWN BY THE AKAN DEVILS BUT BY THE ANGEL RAWLINGS OF THE EWE DESCEND AND HIS P N D C MAFIA FROM WHICH THE NDC WAS BORN.SECONDLY IT IS NOT ABOUT DR.BAWUMIA RULING GHANA BUT IT IS ABOUT YOUR GOVERNMENT ENGAGING IN DAY LIGHT ROBBERY. IF A GOVT CAN FORGE GHS1000 BILL TO MAKE IT GHS31000 THEN WHERE ARE WE HEADING TOWARDS
Did the NDC not accept the Vice President position for John Mahama? Now they are saying the North does not deserve that position. When John Mahama accepted it it was deserving. Is the current Vice President of the US the Presidential Candidate of the the Democrats in the US? There is no convention anywhere which says the Vice President becomes the Presidential candidate except may be in the NDC. So Amissah Arthur is the next Presidential Candidate for the NDC. We live to see.
This is a fact that cannot be disputed. It is the truth the man has said but most of this civil society organisations, who claims to be noble are just speaking theory. You know very well that the Late Alliu Mahama was never given the opportunity to lead this country. The fact is that NPP never regard the people of northern region and some other tribes. Kofi Bentle should give us a abreak.
How can a whole president descend so low into the gutters? Be advised to save the little respect left for you because you will surely loose this election by God's grace.
I am ashamed about the double standard of most educated Ghanaian. When Former president Kufour said the Akyim should vote for Nana because his is their own son, nobody comment on it as tribal. Why should we think that comments from NDC are offensive and those from NPP is not, we need to be truthful to ourselves else we destroy Ghana. Was it not tribalism for Bawumia to say that Mahama has destroyed the Northern brand? Please, let us be fair and open minded if we really want to address the issue truthfully and stop the pretenses.
IF SOME OF OUR SO CALLED OPINION LEADERS AND THINK TANG DONT WAKE UP TO THEIR REAL RESPONSIBILITIES THEN THEY SHOULD JUST KEEP QUIET. JUST LAST WEEK AT AKROPONG FORMAL PRESIDENT KOFFOUR CALLED ON THE PEOPLE OF EASTERN REGION TO VOTE FOR NANA AKOFU ADDO BECAUSE HE IS THEIR OWN SON. AS FOR BAWUMIA HE IS WORST OFFENDER. HE CLAIM BECAUSE HE IS A MUSLIM AND PRESIDENT MAHAMAH IS A CHRISTIAN, THE PEOPLE FROM THE NORTH AND THE ZONGO COMMUNITY SHOULD VOTE FOR HIM. IF YOU GUYS DONT SPEAK AGAINST THIS ISSUES FROM THE NPP SIDE,THEN TRUST ME IT WILL BE VERY DIFFICULT FOR THE NPP TO WIN ANY ELECTIONS IN GHANA.