Mahama neglected Konkombas – Naabu

Former President John Dramani Mahama’s decision not to appoint persons of Konkomba ethnicity as Ministers or Deputy Ministers caused the NDC’s defeat in the 2016 polls, Yunyoo NDC MP Joseph Bipoba Naabu, has disclosed.

Speaking to Class News’ parliamentary correspondent, Ekow Annan, on the reasons for the NDC’s defeat, Mr Naabu listed a number of factors including Mr Mahama’s neglect of Konkombas in his appointments.

According to him, although Ghanaians generally frown on tribalism, ethnicity cannot be taken away from politics.

“I don’t want to be talking about tribalism nor do I want to raise ethnicity issues, but in politics we can’t do away with ethnicity. Even when you go to Legon (the University of Ghana) to study political science, we have something we call Ethnicity in Ghanaian Politics, so we cannot do away with ethnicity. President Mahama did not appoint Konkombas. We were eight Konkombas in NDC in parliament. None of us, the Konkombas, were made a Minister or a Deputy Minister. That affected the Konkombas and my brother Bugri Naabu, the regional chairman [of the NPP], used that and ensured that the whole of the Eastern corridor we lost to the NPP,” he stated.

He further accused Mr Mahama of appointing inexperienced and arrogant persons as ministers which affected the party’s fortunes even in their strongholds.

“The arrogance of most of the ministers was very serious and it affected us in the elections. I don’t want to mention names. I know a Minister told a former MP that that MP was not qualified to be a minister. That was why he was not made a minister, and he was qualified, that was why he was made a minister, which was not good,” he stated.

“Most of the ministers that were appointed under NDC were young boys who had not been able to even settle down well. Some of them just came from school and they couldn’t rent a chamber and hall by themselves, they could not buy even a bicycle, but when they were made Deputy Ministers and Ministers, within a year or two they were riding in posh cars. But they had no experience and that affected us.

“In the [former] Vice President’s constituency we lost, President Mills’ constituency we lost, in the Central Region we lost in the constituency of the Minister for Education, in General Mosquito’s constituency we lost, Hanna Tetteh’s constituency we lost, Mark Woyongo’s constituency we lost, Baba Jamal’s constituency we lost, because of arrogance.

Some of the ministers were brought from nowhere. I don’t know how the president even appointed them. And the president did not appoint people who deserved to be appointed… The President went and brought outsiders and why wouldn’t we lose? That’s why we lost. His appointments were very bad.”