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Here’s a tale of two political leaders– one basking in media glare and the other turning out to be a sorry footnote to it; one a national talking point and the other nearly invisible.

It is also a story of two political parties – one focused on the state and the other oblivious to them; one serious about its political future and the other confused about the political course to follow.

It was refreshing listening to the President last Wednesday when he submitted his nomination papers for the December elections.

On the other hand, John Mahama couldn't show up. He's still battling the EC even at this crucial hour when all serious presidential candidates are busily trooping to the EC to file in person.

It is interesting listening to John Mahama as against President Addo D and juxtaposing both comments, I cringe.

While President Addo D has over the past three and half years proven to be a shining example of everything we should seek in 21st Century political leadership, John Mahama, on the other hand, has embodied the very worst of the 20th Century anarchism.

The other time, it was the fact that he won't accept the outcome of the 2020 elections. And then: his flagrant abuse of the EC. We are a few weeks to election 2020, and Mahama is still not getting his act together.

In a world of hostile competition where leaders fight for national interests, we have lost our nation to relational political players such as John Mahama, who barely understand the link between a policy statement and a nation’s moral development.

Leading with integrity is one of the great challenges of leadership, and that word “integrity” many will also agree eludes John Mahama’s glossary.

When Nana Addo announced his vision for Ghana, even before he became president, they thought he had gone nuts. “Impossible! It can’t be done! The reason for this was that no other President has thought of doing what he had in mind for his country. It was and is still a novelty in this proud West African nation’s political landscape.

He was bent on becoming the first president in Ghana that will run the country as if it were a business entity – a business entity whose sole aim is to maximize the nation’s wealth for its people.

History was thus in the making, and his ambition was not without a reality check and caution. As a realist, he realized from the onset that this would be a staggering mission that will require a dyed-in-the-wool band of leaders around him. But, it had been his secret ambition for years, and he knew how to go out and get the job done.

Did he always succeed? I don’t think so. But is he moving in the right steps? Absolutely, yes! Some political opportunists will all too easily say no because of character flaws on their part. However, and to a very large extent, well-intentioned Ghanaians will tell you that although work is still in progress, yet the nation is making a remarkable recovery from the abyss of destruction and excesses of John Mahama’s NDC regime.

The reality is that we have been going through a big change for the past three and a half years, and with each year, it only seems to grow exponentially. Denial of this does not negate that it has been occurring and will continue to occur. In Ghana, we have seen governments, politicians, businesses, and individuals attempt to lead or manage these changes from a place of greed, sycophancy, power, and manipulation. However, there have also been some great success stories of development, creativity, and successful changes as in Nana Akufo-Addo’s case.

The next few years may be crucial for Ghana: Depending on who wins the race to the State House, it will be one of regression and instability or a continuation of the great creativity and developmental strides presently gripping the nation.

Ghanaians will have to decide in the next election, just what the future of Ghana holds for us, our children, grandchildren, and future generations – retrogression, as in John Mahama, or progression, as in Nana Akufo-Addo?

I shall return