Mahama’s slips caused his defeat – Legon lecturers reveal

Some comments made by former President John Mahama ahead of the 2016 elections contributed to his awful performance in the polls, a research conducted by some political science lecturers at the University of Ghana has revealed.

The research also attributed the failure of the NDC to win the elections on their over reliance on the so called unprecedented infrastructural development by the administration.

It also blamed the inability of the former vice President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur to counter the economic reviews of the government by the then running mate of the NPP, now vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Addressing the media on their findings, one of the researchers and lecturer, Alex Frimpong said the release of the Montie three also contributed to the NDC’s electoral misfortune.

“The first factor was the confusion of whether NDC was seeking a second or third term. NDC over relied on the unprecedented infrastructure development. Issues of impunity of government appointees; they had become prophets of who should and others who could never become President,” he noted.

He added: “You also remember the pressure the government appointees put on the president to release the Montie three. But the President also had his own slip ups; ‘Ghanaians have short memory’, ‘Ashanti and the golden roads’, ‘Only former President can debate me’, ‘the sleeping Opana on the Western roads’ and ‘Opana will destool chiefs’.

“You also remember Vice President Amissah-Arthur could not answer any of the 170 questions Dr. Bawumia put to him”.

Meanwhile, the Kwesi Botchwey committee set up by the NDC to gather information from the various regions on why the party lost the elections is yet to complete its work.