John Mahama is a typical 'stomach direction' politician - Wontumi

The Ashanti regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party has classified former President Mahama, as a typical “stomach direction” politician who doesn’t know his bearings as a statesman.

Mr. Bernard Antwi-Boasiako noted that former President Mahama was constantly looking for avenues to make news headlines even if it would impact negatively to his image.

The Ashanti regional chairman of the NPP explained that he had expected that the former President would condemn his party executives for issuing a statement urging its party members not to participate in the Ghana Card registration process.

His comment follows a move by Mr. Mahama and his wife to finally register for a Ghana card after joining his party to boycott the process when it was initially rolled out.

Speaking to Peacefmonline.com, the NPP chair popularly known as Chairman Wontumi indicated that “Mahama should have earlier warned his party executives against taking this stance. He should have told them to look at the collective picture of making Ghana a better place rather than stifling the process with their poisonous politics.”

“Mahama is a typical stomach direction politician. He doesn’t have control over the party and just obeys the wind even if it will lead him into a ditch”, Chairman Wontumi said.

Last Tuesday, former President Mahama and other members of his household and office staff members were registered and issued with the Ghana Card.

His opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) had initially had issues with the Ghana Card and urged its members not to register for it.

In a press statement signed by NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, in July 2018, the opposition party pointed out that its Functional Executive Committee (FEC) took a decision not to participate in the ongoing Ghana Card registration exercise until the party’s demand was met. The party demanded that the voter’s ID card be included as one of the primary requirements for registration.

“The likelihood that the Ghana Card would be used as the major document for the compilation of a new voter register makes it all the more compelling for the inclusion of the current voter’s ID card as a requirement for the ongoing Ghana Card registration exercise since its coverage is more extensive and its validity more genuine,” the NDC had argued.

“Party faithful throughout the country are, therefore, enjoined to boycott the Ghana Card registration exercise until the authorities yield to our demand and include the voter’s ID card as requirement,” it ordered, and said “all party executives at all levels of the party are to ensure that FEC’s directive spreads like wildfire throughout the country.”

However, the NDC then made a U-turn in 2019 and directed its members to “fully participate” in the ongoing Ghana Card registration even though their demands were not met by the NIA.