Kofi Adams, why won’t discerning Ghanaians panic over Mahama’s comeback?

The recent announcement by former President Mahama to stage a presidential comeback has sent shock waves across the length and breadth of the country, especially amongst the thoughtful critics to the arousing disgust of the NDC faithful.

Apparently, while some of us do appreciate the discerning Ghanaians apprehension over Mahama’s desperate attempt to reclaim the presidency, the NDC loyalists, such as the National Organiser, Kofi Adams and the General Secretary, Asiedu Nketia seem oblivious to the apocalypse of Mahama returning to the Jubilee House, and hence their incessant and needless taunting of Mahama’s critics.

Unhesitatingly, it would be extremely disastrous if Mahama was to reclaim the presidency, notwithstanding his calamitous errors in judgement which led to the massive economic meltdown.

Why wouldn’t discerning Ghanaians dread and express grave concern over the return of a former president who has more alleged bribery and corruption scandals hanging on his neck than any other president in the history of Ghanaian politics?

Let us be honest, no true nationalist will ever shrill and thrill over the return of a former president who has serious questions to answer over the puzzling corruption scandals such as the STX housing deal, the Brazilian aircrafts, the Ford Expedition Vehicle and the Armajaro saga.



Take, for instance, more recently, we read that four courageous Ghanaians had petitioned the 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).

Why wouldn’t patriotic Ghanaians dread the return of a former President who can accept clandestine gift of a brand new Ford Expedition vehicle worth over $100,000 from a Burkinabe Contractor called Djibril Kanazoe?

A few years ago, the investigative work carried out by the award winning investigative journalist, Joy FM’s Manasseh Azuri exposed Ex-President Mahama’s furtive gift from the Burkinabe Contractor. According to the report, the Burkinabe Contractor Kanazoe, undertook a number of contracts which were secured through sole-sourcing and handpicking, amid allegations of former president Mahama’s influence.

Manasseh reported that Djibril Kanazoe over the years took part in the bidding process for contracts in the country. However, he was not successful until a middleman led him to meet then Vice President Mahama.

Subsequent to meeting the then Vice President Mahama, Kanazoe was handpicked to build the $650,000 Ghana Embassy fence wall in Burkina Faso.

In September 2014, when officials of the Bank of Ghana met the Public Accounts Committee of Ghana Parliament (PAC), it came to light that an amount of $656, 246.48 had been spent on the construction of a fence wall over a parcel of land belonging to the Ghana Embassy in Burkina Faso.

Apparently, PAC requested the Bank of Ghana to look into what it referred to as: “the outrageous” cost of the project.

However, it came to light that the procurement process was violated to favour former President Mahama’s Burkinabe friend.

Shockingly, during an interview with Manasseh, Djibril Kanazoe admitted that he did not put in a bid for the contract, but it was rather the Ghana Embassy in Ouagadougou that wrote to his company to request price quotations for the project and he subsequently forwarded the necessary quotes and was selected.

“Subsequently, the Burkinabe contractor delivered to former President Mahama, the ‘gift’ of a brand new Ford Expedition vehicle in 2012, the same year his company was selected, again through sole-sourcing, to execute more projects” (See: ‘Burkinabe Contractor offers controversial gift to President Mahama’ ; myjoyonline.com, 15/06/2015).

If we take a stroll down memory lane, somewhere in October 2010, the British media came out with chilling reports about how the then Vice President John Dramani Mahama was lobbied by a British Cabinet Minister to get a reprieve for the ban imposed on Armajaro Holdings, one of the cocoa buying companies who were found guilty for smuggling the commodity out of Ghana.

It must however be noted that Armajaro Company was banned together with a few other companies, when the award winning investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas exposed the smuggling of countless bags of cocoa into neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire.

Amazingly, however, the British media reported that subsequent to the meeting between the then Vice President John Dramani Mahama and the British Cabinet Minister, Armajaro Company was given a needless reprieve and then started its operations.

In a related incident, Mr Martin Amidu came out a few years ago and told the whole nation that in July 2011, there was a hue and cry about the prices for the acquisition of five (5) aircrafts for the Ghana Armed Forces which were negotiated by former President John Dramani Mahama.

Mr Amidu however stressed that even though on 26th July 2011 the late Mills attempted to defend the purchase of the five aircrafts, he became convinced of the necessity to set up a Committee to investigate those purchases.

Mr Amidu’s stressed: “a Committee to Investigate the Processes of the Acquisition of Five Aircrafts (5) including Embraer 190 Aircraft and hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces consisting of Mr. William Aboah, Mr. George Amoah, and Brig. Gen. Allotey (Rtd) former Judge Advocate-General was put together”.

Mr Amidu however avouched : “the terms of reference of the Committee as I was instructed and drafted them for the late President were: “(i) to investigate the processes adopted in selecting, negotiating, and agreeing on the acquisition of the aircrafts; (ii) to investigate the competitive advantage, prices of the aircrafts and the level of economic and financial due diligence conducted by relevant agencies in the process of acquisition of the aircrafts; and (iii) to investigate any other matter that in the opinion of the Committee is reasonably related to the foregoing terms of reference”. “Pressure groups never allowed the Committee to take off”.

“But the very fact that the late President Mills even contemplated this Committee meant that he was uncomfortable with and suspicious of the alleged inflated prices of the aircrafts”.

Dearest reader, don’t you think that the preceding bribery and corruption scandals stink to high heaven?

What is more, we hope and pray that as supposedly bona fide Ghanaians, Kofi Adams and Asiedu Nketia won’t go to sleep any longer over the inexplicable STX Housing deal which was supposed to provide affordable housing units to the security agencies.

And in spite of the fact that the deal did not materialise, the then Vice President Mahama is alleged to have given us a bill of an excess of $300 million. How bizarre?

It beggars belief that despite the wanton corruption, the arrogance of power and the crass incompetence exhibited by the erstwhile Mahama administration which resulted in massive economic collapse, the NDC faithful would still have the moral authority to clamour inexorably for the return of former President Mahama.

Given the illimitable rot in the Mahama’s administration, some of us cannot help but to giggle over the NDC’s faithful renewed zeal to return to power so soon.

Apparently, the Progressive Nationalist Forum (PNF) estimates that monies lost to corrupt and dubious transactions under the presidency of John Dramani Mahama amounted to GHC5billion.

However, the total of my calculations in respect of all the recorded corrupt and dubious transactions exceeds that of the PNF; I recorded GH7 billion.

Verily, patriotic Ghanaians have every reason to panic over Mahama’s comeback

In ending, some of us, as a matter of principle, cannot abandon our apprehension anyhow and anytime soon over former President Mahama’s decision to reclaim the presidency.

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com