Ghanaians made a 'mistake' voting for 'try me' Akufo-Addo - John Mahama

Voting for Nana Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party was a mistake by the Ghanaian people, former President John Mahama has said.

Speaking to delegates during his visit to Kpone Katamanso on Friday, 14 April 2023, Mr Mahama said the six years of the Akufo-Addo administration has exposed the adminidtration's incompetence.

“In 2016, our colleagues, the NPP, told a lot of lies about us. They labeled us as incompetent and they came with a lot of big and sweet promises to the people of Ghana and used that to persuade people that there will be a better government than we were", Mr Mahama said.

“And, so, the people of Ghana tried them by voting for them. They said they should try them: ‘Try me and see’."

"And that was a mistake the people of Ghana made because we have come to realise that after all, 'we have the men, we have the men', they were station boys, they don’t know anything,” Mr Mahama said.

Using the power sector to buttress his point, Mr Mahama wondered why the government is signing more power deals when the same administration criticised his administration for signing a lot of such deals.

“Just last week, they signed another power purchase agreement. Why are you signing another one today?” he asked.

Further, he said the government's factory-per-district promise has been nothing more than a hoax.

“Recently, I was watching a documentary on Joy and most of those factories are not even working,” he added.

Mr Mahama also said the Akufo-Addo government's human rights record has been appalling.

“The US Human Rights Report has come out and it makes very bad reading: human rights abuses, corruption, torture, so many things, discrimination, everything go and read that report.”

He promised an all-inclusive intervention should his comeback bid be successful.

Mr Mahama said his government will set up a governance advisory council that would include civil society organisations, religious leaders, chiefs, and ordinary grassroots people.

"And, every year, that council will release a report on the state of human rights corruption and everything in Ghana.”