President Mahama and 2016

In 2016 NDC and NPP candidates across the country will be waging the final moments of a fierce, region-by-region effort to turn out their supporters on December 7, even as voters would line up at the polls to express their anger and frustration at the dysfunction and paralysis in Accra.

After spending years locked in loud and often bitter contests about the direction of the country under President Mahama’s leadership, national strategists for both parties will concede that the outcome of the next election would once again be on a knife edge,something pollsters will struggle to accurately predict.

Regional power Nigeria held their election last month and they had change! First of its kind for incumbent to lose in that country.

President Mahama had been elected in 2012 on a groundswell of hope and optimism,but within months he had introduced quasi policies and,noticeable galloping corruption is making his administration hugely unpopular.

Buhari's victory gives NPP hope.For NPP,the anticipation of victory in next year is noticeable,with the party's faithfuls openly betting that the election's results in Nigeria would offer a salve to them for NDC's back-to-back presidential wins.But wait there are reasons which played to now president Muhammadu Buhari's advantage.Past elections have been marred by serious irregularities and suspicions of rigging. In 2007 observers said the presidential poll was not "credible". In 2011 the vote was considered to be better run but observers said that rigging and fraud still took place.

This time the electoral commission took more steps to prevent rigging, including new biometric voters cards.Also the election took place against the background of an Islamist insurgency in the north-east of the country. The militant organisation Boko Haram has killed over 20,000 people and forced

millions from their homes and President Jonathan was criticised for not getting to grips with this.

Nigeria's economy is another factor which help brought the change.

President Mahama seem to have hit a brick wall every project taken under his watch has failed miserably.GYEEDA,SADA are a few of those messy adventures by government.And there was a lot gone wrong that needed setting right. But before Mahama set it right,things keep going wrong some more.

His lack of vision is inexplicable for such a ''young'' president.He keeps on reshuffling inexperienced ministers at lightning speed.This is a president who sat on national television and confessed that his own people are edging him to sack the hopelessly underperforming finance minister.Clear signs of a weak leader!

Is he trustworthy enough? In 2014 state of the nation address:mr president told parliament Ghana will not go to IMF for bail out but later went.Call him the promise-happy president. Talk much and does very little.Energy crisis is disrupting Ghana’s economic growth.

Government officials constantly, blamed previous leaders for the lack of structural planning which has resulted in the current energy crisis, and called for strong public-private engagements in planning the affairs of the country.That call is not bad,but they should fix problems inherited from previous administration and stop talking.If NPP were able solved those problems they will be in power by now-so NDC keep quiet and work.

I always maintain that African politicians have brilliant ideas only in opposition.When they are in power they are terrible and huge mess! This current NPP opposition is not as solid as then candidate Kufour's led opposition.Way back then they showed promise and hope.We have'' the men mantra''was used often to buttress the point that they can run Ghana.The likes of;J.H Mensah,Yaw Osafo Marfo,Dr Apreku,Kwame Pianim, Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey,B.J.Da Rocha,Agyenim Boateng,Hackman Owusu-Agyeman and Akuffo Addo himself spoke eloquently on issues.

Today how do we see NPP under Akuffo Addo? Absolutely not like Kufour's one.Ironically they are banking their hope on serial callers to win power.Some resort to endless insults on opponents. Bawumia will also release his cosmetic quarterly state of the economy and goes to sleep! NPP should be the first to admit that NDC is a formidable force,something they are unwilling to accept. Whether fair or foul means NDC had won four out of six elections none below 43 percent. Instead of telling the truth to their followers-deceived them that the polls was stolen save 2000 and 2004.Victory could be in the air for NPP in 2016 if only they work for it.Let us look at this analogy:Henri Konan Bedie(Ivory Coast),Rupiah Banda (Zambia),Faure Gnassingbe(Togo),Ali Bongo Ondimba(Gabon),Goodluck Jonathan(Nigeria)and John Mahama (Ghana) all took office when their bosses departed into eternal glory.Rupiah Banda and Jonathan lost re-election bids while Konan

Bedie and Faure won theirs.So you cannot put a stamp on it that Mahama is bound to lose. President Mahama have almost one and half years to decide on his future.If he is fed up with the Flagstaff House affairs he should continue messing up and Ghanaians will show him the exit door.Nobody feel the benefits of his economy policies with nearly half the population living below the poverty line. NDC followers cast Mahama as a youthful alternative to Akuffo Addo. Disciples of NPP also claim that the older wine the better. Politicians can no longer be trusted,they simply do not bring any change to the ordinary man rather they are more concern to better personal financial fortunes.

REAGAN MICHAEL FIANKO

TRUEMIKKY@YAHOO.COM