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Head of Psychology at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo has objurgated this year's Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama for fanning ethnocentric sentiments.

The NDC flagbearer shared an article written by Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo dubbed ''Agyapa Royalties Fraud Is The Last Straw: The Akyem Sakawa Boys and Grandpas Must Go''.

Portions of the article read; ''Agyapa royalties deal is a big fraud on Ghana by Akufo-Addo and the Akyem Mafia. You mortgaged Getfund proceeds in excess of GHS25 billion for the next 10 years to borrow $1.5 billion and yet you could not expand educational infrastructure and build new schools to end double track, you mortgaged bauxite buried on the ground to Sinohydro to borrow $2 billion but has nothing to show after almost 2 years, you mortgaged ESLA proceeds for the next 10 years’ worth in excess of GHS30 billion in 10 years to raise energy sector bonds of about $1.3 billion and yet energy sector debts remain unpaid and you have since accumulated over $ 2 billion additional energy sector debt with power producers threatening to shut their power plants.

"How can 76-year-old Akufo-Addo mortgage revenues of about GHS75 billion of the state for his maladministration to steal without caring about how his children and grandchildren will manage the economy into the future. No wicked man has ever ruled this country and destroyed Ghana’s fiscal and debt framework the way Nana Addo and the empty lying Dr Bawumia have done...They will now sell us to borrow to satisfy their insatiable corrupt habits if they are allowed 1 more year in office."

Mr. Mahama is seen as endorsing and supporting the contents of the article which some critics have found to stoke tribal flames.

Although President Nana Akufo-Addo, who comes from the Akyem tribe, has expressed resentments over the article and the fact that Mr. Mahama shared it, the latter is unperturbed as he cautions the President to stop complaining.

President Akufo-Addo's statements

President Akufo-Addo wondered how a former President in the person of John Mahama would support such comments about him and the people of Akyem stressing “sometimes, one would hope when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent: ‘Akyem Sakawa’ people, I have not heard any public figure in this country or anybody comment on it...If I was to get up to make a comment about northerners or Gonjas, you can imagine the uproar that will be in the country...If the President opens his mouth and says something that is unacceptable, he should be reprimanded. In the same way, opposition politicians, if they conduct themselves by their utterances in an unacceptable manner, they should be brought to book''.


In response to the President, Mr. Mahama said; “President Akufo-Addo has lost the right to complain because while he was in opposition, he called his predecessors all sorts of names.

“He called me Dr. Do Little and called somebody ‘Simpa Panyin’ and I don’t want to repeat some of the things he has said. He is a President who has called his critics naysayers and Jeremiahs, so I don’t understand on what standard he will be offended at this time because, when he has precedence of name-calling.” 

Exchange of Ideas; Not Insults

Professor Joseph Osafo, speaking on Peace FM's ''Kokrokoo'', asked the former President and all political figures in the country to be mindful of their utterances and writeups.

He called on them to avoid anything that will incite tribal sentiments and violence in the nation.

According to him, politics should be an exchange of ideas not a trade of insults and tribal comments.

To him, more especially that there is impending general elections, ''this is the time to go and vote and we don't need this. It's time for us to move Ghana forward''.

"Ghana isn't a monoethnic country; it's multi. We have a lot of different groups and languages. And at least in my little life,  I think that we have done well. We're not very perfect but we have ensured that we'll co-exist. I think these ethnocentric comments in our body politics is very disturbing. You don't build democracy like that. In political psychology, we say you build a nation with psychology of tolerance...It is the exchange of ideas and the exchange of ideas are different from the exchange of insults," he averred.