‘Mahama’s competence not in doubt’ – Fuseini

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Sagnarigu, A.B.A. Fuseini, has refuted suggestions that former President John Mahama has nothing to offer and should not lead the party as flagbearer of the party in 2020.

He was reacting to comments by Joseph Bipoba Naabu, NDC MP for Yunyoo, who had said that former President Mahama lacked competence when he was president of Ghana, which contributed to the defeat of the NDC in last year’s elections.

Mr Naabu, who was speaking in an interview with Class91.3FM’s parliamentary correspondent, Ekow Annan, on Tuesday 21st March, added that Mr Mahama would perform poorly in the 2020 elections if he decided to run for president again.

He said: “Even though it’s my party and I wish that we would have won the elections, it was because of our behaviour – and the president himself took things for granted – that was why we lost. He thought he was going to win hands down but rather he lost heavily and massively. I will say lack of competence and he also not having control, people were just telling him lies within the presidency.

“Take Omane Boamah for instance. What experience has he got in politics? If he goes to contest elections in the constituency where he comes from, can he win that election? But the former president was listening to such people and that is the problem with him. Those who were surrounding him were not telling him the truth.

“He was the president and he went and contested Nana Akufo-Addo and lost so miserably... Now, if President Mahama comes, what is he going to do? Is he the only person and why should it be him? I want to tell him categorically that if he comes, he will rather mess up more. And those people calling for him to come back were the people he appointed as ministers, people he made deputy ministers, they were the people who were chief executive officers of government institutions – they are the people calling him to come back.”

But Mr Fuseini, responding to the comments in an interview with Valentina Ofori Afriyie on Class FM’s 505 news programme the same day, retorted that he was shocked by the utterances of Mr Naabu.

According to him: “There is not a single person, even non-NDC members, who would doubt that His Excellency [former] President Mahama is one of the most competent presidents that has traversed our fourth republic.”

He added that the team that Mr Mahama assembled and assigned various roles “discharged their duties creditably well”.

Mr Fuseini was of the view that all the young people discharged their duties creditably. “Anybody will salute the young people for the good and meticulous work that they have done,” he insisted.

He said Mr Naabu’s accusations were “baseless” and that an “overwhelming majority of the NDC are aware of the competence of the past government”.

The MP for Sagnarigu said initially when he heard that Mr Naabu had made such comments, he disregarded the news, saying: “I didn’t think any sane-minded NDC member, and a Member of Parliament for that matter who has followed the fortunes of the party, would make statements to this effect,” adding: “It is most unfortunate and he owes this party (NDC) and the former president an unqualified apology. He must do himself good by denying those who claim that he is a loose cannon…”