The Herald Ghana: President Mahama is a gentleman extraordinaire

The resort to use Constitutional and legitimate means to undo an injustice that was not only done to him but Ghanaians, who had voted overwhelmingly for change in the just ended election, makes former president John Dramani Mahama, first among his equals.

By taking that route and not resorting to violence, the nation owes him more gratitude that can be expressed in one editorial.

As a sitting president, when he lost the 2016 election, uncharacteristic of leaders across the world, he put a call across to president elect, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to congratulate him on his victory at the polls before the result were officially declared by the electoral umpire – Electoral Commission.

With that move, the tension was extinguished, situating the former president on the mind of Ghanaians, as many would say "the moral compass of the nation."

He was a good sportsman in 2016, he accepted the verdict of the people in good faith, and has provided a statesman's role until he contested the presidential primary of the National Democratic Congress, which he won by a landslide.

He uplifted Ghana on the world stage and added brownie points to what his predecessor and former boss, John Evans Atta Mills earned for the country in the 2000 and 2004 elections.

An illegality cannot be made right, even if the one who was cheated agrees that, it should be made to go.

Nana Akufo-Addo, in connivance with the Electoral Commission is perpetuating himself in power. The processes leading to the 2020 election, have been skewed to give the current president undue advantage.

President Akufo-Addo, knows very well that he didn't win the election. As painful as it remains for former president Mahama, he has remained calm and weighing all options available to him.

In 2012, when president Mahama, was declared victorious in the most open, transparent, free and fair election, marauding supporters of Akufo-Addo, took to the streets destroying cars branded in NDC paraphernalia, even journalists were not spared, today the story is different.

This newspaper is of the opinion that, John Dramani Mahama, does not only deserve the presidency, but a Nobel Peace prize.