I will bet every penny on Bawumia to curb corruption, but not Mahama

I was extremely surprised upon listening to former President Mahama’s corruption sermon, in which he was promising to investigate and prosecute bribery and corruption suspects in the event of returning to the Jubilee House in 2025.

My dear reader, it is not an understatement to state that I was bemused over Mahama’s cacophonous anti-corruption sermons. I was indeed besotted. Wonders shall never end, our elders say.

If you would recall, subsequent to the NDC’s 2016 humiliating election defeat, the party leadership set up a 13-member committee, presided by former Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Professor Kwesi Botchwey, with the sole mandate of travelling to the length and breadth of the country to interact with the grassroots supporters and investigate the causes of the historic defeat and put forward recommendations.

The credible sources, however, had it that the Botchwey Committee’s report indicted former President Mahama, the NDC’s 2016 flagbearer as the main cause of NDC’s humiliating defeat.

On the issue of corruption, the Botchwey Committee’s report is quoted to have stressed that former President Mahama was perceived to have endorsed corruption in his administration.

My dear reader, isn’t it therefore bizarre when Mahama keeps stressing that unlike the current president, he will clampdown on bribery and corruption and won’t behave as a ‘clearing agent’?

If His Excellency former President Mahama indeed has the will and commitment to fight the menace of bribery and corruption, why did he fail to investigate and prosecute the alleged offenders in the bribery and corruption scandals in the infamous Bus Branding, the Brazilian Aircrafts, the Brazil World Cup, the GH12 million import tax evasion by the sibling of former President Mahama, Ibrahim Mahama, SADA, SUBA, GYEEDA, SSNIT, NCA, MASLOC, the furtive Ford Expedition Vehicle, the Woyome’s 51.2 million dubious judgement debt, the Waterville’s $30 million wrongful payment, the Isofoton’s dubious payment of $325,000, among others?

Wasn’t former president Mahama who secretly accepted a brand new Ford Expedition vehicle worth over $100,000 from a Burkinabe Contractor called Djibril Kanazoe, whom he allegedly showered with Government of Ghana contracts?

Isn’t Mahama who is being accused of alleged corruption scandals in the Airbus, SADA, GYEEDA, SUBA, NCA, SSNIT, the infamous Bus Branding, the Brazil World Cup, the STX housing deal, the Brazilian aircrafts, the Ford Expedition Vehicle, the Armajaro saga, among others?

In the infamous Bus branding, it was the late Dzifa Ativor who voluntarily resigned and it wasn’t the anti-corruption crusader, former President Mahama, who took a strong stance and sacked her from his administration.

Besides, the suspects in the GYEEDA and SSNIT scandals were convicted and sentenced to prison a few years ago under the current NPP administration.

The crucial question every concerned Ghanaian should be asking then is: how many opposition bribery and corruption suspects did Mahama arraign before a competent court of jurisdiction during his tenure in office?

I have always held a firm and unadulterated conviction that the numerous corruption allegations hanging on the neck of former President Mahama largely led to NDC’s 2016 humiliating election defeat.

Wasn’t the Mahama administration that surreptitiously diverted $6 million of the $175 million loan facility meant to provide seven district hospitals into researching the then governing NDC’s chances of winning the 2016 general elections?

According to the report, although SCL Social was given $6 million to carry out a nationwide survey to provide appropriate data for the proper planning of the healthcare needs of Ghana, the NDC government led by Ex-President Mahama deemed it fit to divert the loan facility for their internal research at the expense of the sick and infirm Ghanaians. How insensitive?

A few years ago, the Attorney-General under Mills/Mahama administration, Martin Amidu, audaciously came out and told Ghanaians that the late President Mills set up a committee to investigate a suspicious Brazilian Aircrafts deal negotiated by the then Vice President Mahama.

Besides, subsequent to the embarrassing Airbus bribery and corruption scandal between 2009 and 2015, President Akufo-Addo tasked the then Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu to establish the identity of the said Government Official One who allegedly took bribe in the international thematic report.

The Special Prosecutor regrettably concluded in 2020 that the said Government Official 1 in the Airbus bribery scandal was the former president and the 2020 flagbearer of NDC, John Dramani Mahama.

If you may also remember, a few years ago, four courageous Ghanaians petitioned the then Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu to probe into the alleged E.O. Group’s $13 million corporate social responsibility fund towards the development of the Western Region which the petitioners claimed to have been diverted by Ex-President Mahama (See: ‘Mahama diverted $13m E.O. Group money; probe him – Four citizens petition Amidu’-todaygh.com/ghanaweb.com, 18/06/2018).

As if that was not enough, a group of patriotic Ghanaians petitioned the Special Prosecutor to probe the alleged oil money of GH40.5 million which was surreptitiously transferred to the presidency, via the then Chief of Staff (See: ‘Group explains why Amidu must probe Mahama, Debrah in GH¢40.5m BOST payment’; myjoyonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 19/09/2018).

In 2012, the Parliament of Ghana approved a loan of 200 million United States dollars, an equivalent of 2.3 billion Ghana cedis to build 5000 affordable housing units.

However, the erstwhile Mahama administration readjusted the original contract on the blind side of the Parliament of Ghana and initially reduced the housing units to 1502 and further reduced to 1412.

What is more disturbing, is that the outgone Mahama administration ridiculously used the 200 million United States dollars(GH2.3 billion) to build only 668 housing units instead of 5,000.

Former President Mahama and his praise singing supporters can keep claiming birth right to incorruptibility, but discerning Ghanaians would only take him seriously if he comes clean on the alleged bribery and corruption scandals hanging on his neck.

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com