Mahama's resignation call out of place – Lecturer

A call by the Greater Accra regional Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Bala Maekanka, for the presidential nominee of the party, Dr Edward Mahama to resign because the party is unable to acquire the needed logistics and resources to prosecute campaign activities for the December 7 polls, is totally out of place, Mr Kwesi Jonah, a Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, has said.

Mr Jonah said the call coming from just one executive without the support of all the other regional executives cannot be enough reason for the flag bearer to resign.

On Wednesday August 31, Mr Maekanka told Class FM’s Paa Kwesi Parker-Wilson that: “…He (Dr Edward Mahama) is sleeping; he is totally sleeping. When you look at the terrain, look at the proliferation of television stations, check all the TV stations, what are we doing? He is the flag bearer and the leader of the party, but seriously we in the Greater Accra Region has been quiet for almost two months because we don’t even have a manifesto to campaign on and then we don’t even have logistics. You claim to be the leader and flag bearer and you don’t even have one pick-up for yourself.”

For these reasons, Mr Maekanka said Dr Mahama should resign as flag bearer of the party.

But speaking in an interview with Emefa Apawu, host of Class91.3FM’s 505 news programme on Wednesday August 31, Mr Jonah said: “That is an allegation by one chairman and we should be very cautious in how we take this kind of allegation, especially coming from just one regional chairman.”

He added: “The kind of things Dr Edward Mahama is being accused of … are not the sole responsibilities of the flag bearer. The party as a whole should set up mechanisms for raising funds, acquiring vehicles. You cannot put this blame on the flag bearer alone. … As for resignation, if he wants to resign, he will resign but I will say that Dr Edward Mahama was elected as a flag bearer by a body, a delegate conference comprising representatives of the party from the various parts of the country and, so, one regional chairman asking him to step down without any input from the other regional chairmen and from the delegates who elected him, [is not right]."