Ghana looks like a banana republic under Akufo-Addo – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said during his lunch meeting with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmakers on Saturday, January 9 that happenings in parliament during the election of a speaker for the 8th legislature make the country look like a banana republic.

According to the Presidential Candidate of the NDC, an attempt to disallow the injuncted MP-elect for Assin North from taking part in the election of the speaker, the snatching of ballot papers by Tema West MP, Carlos Ahenkorah and other events that took place on January 7 in parliament clearly indicate that the country is lawless under the present administration.

Member of Parliament for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkorah was captured on tape interfering with the voting process. He alleged that there were too many irregularities in the election process and also accused some of his colleagues from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) side of interfering with the process.

“The irregularities accompanying the voting from the start were too many which had compromised the voting so much so that I wanted to create a situation for a rerun.

“Just as my colleague from the other side took the ballot box away on 3 occasions, I also grabbed a few ballot papers before they could be counted so as to force a rerun.

“It’s a very tough situation to have opposition as a speaker especially when he’s the president in the absence of Nana Addo and his vice not to mention how parliament would function bypassing the president’s policies and laws to pave way for development,” he said.

He, however, apologised for his action.

“I did it for the grassroots who relied on us in power to survive, the president who needs some peace to run the country and the greater NPP party as a whole because we cannot always allow the NDC to threaten and vilify us. I apologise though to my family and friends both far and near who may be affected by my actions,” he said.

Military men stormed the chamber following a stalemate between MPs-elect for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) sides while they were electing a new Speaker of the House.

Mr Mahama told the NDC MPs that “Everything that is wrong with our democracy under this President played out in Parliament that night.

“Snatching of ballot papers, attempting to disenfranchise voters by getting the Assin North MP out of the chamber, attempting to compromise the secrecy of the ballot, the entry of the military of the chamber. That is an abomination, it makes us look like a banana republic.

“ Because you [MPs] were there, and you were emotionally charged, I am sure the infamy of that event did not strike you but when you see it on TV again, you will see how low our democracy has sunk under this presidency.”