Will Mahatma Survive 2016 Elections?

By Alex Bossman Baafi

Many believe President Mahama has proved unable to resolve the many challenges facing Ghanaians and as a result will meet his waterloo come 2016 General Elections. What brings the performance of our President into sharp focus is the outcome of the just recent Nigerian’s general elections which has become a huge topical issue everywhere in our country.

Whilst authorities in government try to prove nothing similar of the politics and governance systems between our country and her Nigeria counterpart, many belonging to the other side of the political decide, prove with alacrity and precession, the marked similarities in the governance of the two countries.

For those in government, what happened in the Nigeria elections will have no bearing at all on the impending 2016 general elections in Ghana. This is because the two countries are two distinct or separate sovereign states with their own political dynamics in terms of governance. What works in Nigeria may not necessarily work in Ghana even though the underpinning variables may appear similar.

Those from the opposition side argue that the destiny of Nigeria and Ghana are inter-twined because a careful scrutiny of the factors that led to the fall of the president of Nigeria Goodluck Jonathan and the emphatic victory of the president elect of that country, Muhamadu Buhari are more profound and predominant in Ghanaian politics.

In any humble opinion, there are a lot of lesions Mahama government must learn from the outcome of the Nigeria elections. The outcome must really serve as a food for thought for our government to work hard to avoid a similar fate befalling Mahama.

As a concerned citizen of our country, I personally believe that unless something dramatic happens in our country going forward, the good people of our country will seriously indict Mahama and his government and drop them during the 2016 elections, if nothing at all, for four main reasons.

Dumsor-Dumsor

For the past three and half years during this Mahama administration, the good people of our country are crying for salvation from dumsor-dumsor which had caused severe havoc on all aspect of our National lines. Space and time would not allow me to enumerate the adverse effect of this monster dumsor which include mass joblessness, abject poverty, destruction of businesses and loss of human lives and properties of our innocent citizens. Like Boko Haram menace, I find it notoriously difficult how the electorate in Ghana will not indict Mahama and his NDC government during the elections in 2016.

Corruption

Most people of our electorate now believe that creating looting and sharing of state resources had officially been sanctioned by the Mahama government. It has now become a waste of time to talk about GYEEDA, SADA, SUBA WOYOME and all high profile corruption cases that have not been confronted seriously by this government. Those opinion leaders who have poured contempt on massive corruption in Mahama Administration include the very founder of National Democratic Congress, the ruling party, former President J.J Rawlings who hailed Nigerians for taken the lead in rejection of corruption when Jonathan was swept away by Buhari.

Economy

On the economy, Mahama’s administration is perceived as non-performing. We have mismanaged and messy economy saddled with huge stock debt. The economy is plagued with growing inflation, rising interest rates, huge unemployment with declining fortunes of national currency, the cedi. The statutory payments to state institution including NHIS, GETFUND, and DACF are also in several months in arrears as a result of empty national cotters. The power crises and the depreciation of the cedi had led to mass lay offs of workers in most companies including coca cola company Ltd, Mantrac Ghana, Cadbury GH Ltd, and Novotel. According to the industrial and Commercial Workers Union, more than 560 of its members have been laid off within the first quarter of this year alone.

Hate Campaign

In the wake of these hardships, most of government appointees and communicators have lost focus and had resorted to hate campaign against the flag bearer and his running mate of the major opposition party in the country. Instead of learning from the outcome of the Nigeria’s elections. Many continue to play age game against the leader of the opposition party. Concerning his running mate Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, they continue to attack and vilify his personality for telling the whole nation the truth about the true position of the state of our economy through his recent lecture at the Central University College.

In view of the above and many more which time and space will not allow, I am not professing to be a prophet of doom, but I could foresee the signs of defeat boldly written on the wall for unsatisfactory performance of Mahama government. His attitude towards dumsor, corruption and disastrous economy will mark his doom in 2016 general elections. Time is really running out for him to turn things around for the ‘Better Ghana’ as promised.