Mahama was rushed into Presidency – Bagbin

Former President John Dramani Mahama did not have enough opportunity to mature before getting into the highest office of the Presidency, Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has said.

Mr Bagbin was speaking in an interview with the media in Assin Fosu on Sunday said Mr Mahama was rushed into Presidency with little experience.

It formed part of his engagements with members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the area to woo their votes for the slot as the Party's Presidential aspirant.

His statement stands contrary to the view that former President Mahama is an astute politician, who had gone through the political-mill and rose to the position.

"Former President Mahama came to Parliament in 1997, became a Deputy Minister but did not get much opportunity to learn the culture of "give and take," he said.

"He was then chosen to be the running mate of Professor Mills, but we lost him after three and half years and so he [Mahama] was automatically catapulted into the position of President in just one day and that was a rush."

The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament described himself as an astute and experienced politician who had inspired former President Mahama and the likes and rallied for their support to enable him take over the reigns of government to return the country onto the path of growth.

He partly attributed the electoral landslide defeat of NDC in 2016 to former President Mahama who allegedly surrounded himself with political greenhorns.

He also indicated that the NDC failed woefully in power under Mahama because the government abandoned the Party and the pillars of politics.

The pillars of politics, he identified to include; the media, technocrats and the Party itself as the mother-ship that were woefully abandoned to their fate.

The longest serving Member of Parliament and the Legislator for Nadowli Kaleo Constituency said the party should change the mind-set of their faithful as a solution to the myriad of mistakes that made the party unpopular in 2016 polls.

“We must also not forget our grassroots; you are an ingrate to ride on their support and sacrifices into office only to abandon them when you get there,” he added.

He said efforts were underway to put the Party back on a winsome footing and that could be achieved only when the Party reignited its rank and file as well as the structures.

Commenting on the current government's performance, he praised President Akufo-Addo for exhibiting political maturity and going all out to woo investments into the country to hasten the pace of socio-economic transformation agenda.

However, he scored the government 30 per cent, and described its general performance as woefully inadequate to salvage the country from economic quagmire.