Mahama’s ‘antics’ angers Mills’ men

Right from his first appointments, which were described by some party members as takeover of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government by the People’s National Convention (PNC), long-term members of the NDC, especially those tracing their roots to the People’s National Defence Council (PNDC) era, have been apprehensive about the possible irreparable damage President Mahama’s administration might do to their party.

Those who appear to have felt the painful effects of the change at the top of government were those who were linked tightly with the Professor Mills administration but lacked solid links with President Mahama.

Early protests about possible exclusion of some of these high-profile personalities forced the president to do a quick turnabout and appoint sortie of the supposed Mills loyalists in an apparent attempt to maintain a united front for the NDC.

Leading members of the party confided to The Finder that they were waiting for the Supreme Court verdict on Nana Akufo-Addo and others’ election petition to make their move.

The frustration of those allied to ex-President Mills was the reported close relationship that the president maintained with the former president despite what the Mills’ loyalists saw as betrayal of their hero by President Jerry John Rawlings?

President Rawlings himself maintained an uncharacteristic silence amidst daily allegations of alleged corruption and malfeasance in the media about some members of President Mahama’s government.

But consoling the family of Ghanaian poet and political activist Prof. Kofi Awoonor, recently, President Rawlings gave hints of his actual feelings of the current government when he spoke about latter day members of the NDC who have failed to acknowledge the work of those like Kofi Awoonor who sacrificed when the going was tough to work with the PNDC.

President Rawlings’ frustration was said to have been made worse by President Mahama’s references to past brutal African regimes whose time, according to him, are over with the coming into office of democrats like himself.

Talks of challenging President Mahama at NDC presidential primaries have been bogged with the difficulty of finding a suitable and popular candidate to challenge him.

With Nana Konadu out of the picture, the name of Mr Spio-Garbrah has been mentioned, but a number of leading party members, including even those annoyed by President Mahama’s style of governance, say it would be unwise to unseat President Mahama and still hope to win the elections in 2016.