Former president John Drmani Mahama has criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-Bawumia led administration of using their proficiency in UK and American English to confuse Ghanaians into believing that they were capable of managing the economy better than him.
Mahama stated that Akufo-Addo's language skills do not necessarily translate into better leadership abilities so Ghanaians should vote for him in the upcoming elections to rescue the country from what he describes as confusion brought on by current President Akufo-Addo.
“For us NDC, when we were in government, we shared development equally regardless of political affiliations, so when you look at New Juaben, most of the developmental projects are from NDC.
“So, don’t vote based on political affiliations because they are just lying to you to get your vote. Now we don’t vote based on political affiliations, that is why President Kufour said; ‘Check how comfortable you’re and decide on whom to vote for’.
“…We said it but they didn’t listen because the kind of English they were speaking was American and UK English, they speak very long English, ‘Fellow Ghanaians’ then we the villagers will also respond ‘fellow Ghanaian’. When we hear them speak then we conclude that he can speak better but look at us today.
“For me, the school that I attended Legon, I didn’t go to any UK school or the others so my kind of English is a typical Ghanaian…so when they come and speak their English like ‘the incompetent Mahama administration, the incompetent NDC administration, you, give us one-and-half years we shall transform the nation but look at us today,” he said while touring the Eastern Region as part of his campaign geared toward the NDC’s upcoming Presidential and Parliamentary Primaries.
John Mahama added that he is better placed to lead the country out of its current economic woes.
Mahama previously served as President of Ghana from 2012 to 2016, before losing to Akufo-Addo in the 2016 presidential election.
He unsuccessfully ran against Akufo-Addo again in the 2020 election but has expressed confidence that he can win in 2024 and bring about the changes he believes the country needs.
The 2024 general elections in Ghana are expected to be highly competitive, with several candidates already declaring their intention to run for office.