Mahama’s motor ride signals failed leadership - Kyei Mensah

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Suame constituency and minority leader in parliament has described President Mahama’s riding of a motorbike on the streets of Ghana’s capital as a sign of failed leadership.

The videos of President John Dramani Mahama riding a motorbike through some areas affected by last week’s floods in Accra which went viral on Sunday has generated divided views about the relevance of the quite unusual action.

According to the legislator, leaders have failed adequately to address the issue of perennial flooding in the capital, Accra.

Speaking on the Ultimate breakfast show hosted by Lantam Papanko, he said as leaders, the Mahama-led administration, though cannot use a period of one year to resolve the flood issues in Ghana’s capital, should be seen working tirelessly towards fixing it.

He believes the president’s biking tour is only a populist gimmick.

“Needless; just after another tragedy occurred again this year after the president made a promise that a tragedy of last year’s nature would never occur in Ghana’s history books”.

He said those calling on the presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to replicate President Mahama’s motorbike ride was laughable.

According to him, the ability of a president to govern well is not measured by the person’s competence in riding a motorbike, stating that if it were so, Ivor Greenstreet would never be president.

“Should that be the judgement of leadership, I am not talking about President Mahama, but I am talking about the commentators and some of the apologists of the NDC who were saying that, oh! He has shown that “oye abrantie paa”. Governance is not about Abrantie; Governance is about knowledge, wisdom and experience. Or is the person saying that a person like Ivor Greenstreet cannot be a president just because he cannot mount a motorbike.”