“PRESIDENT MAHAMA MUST TAME THE WILD”(1)

The month of January and President John Dramani Mahama’s inauguration might have come sooner than expected for some members of the largest opposition party in Ghana; the New Patriotic Party(NPP) who thought their petition in court could have been addressed before the swearing in of John Dramani Mahama as the President.

This view is quite contrary to the one held by the members of the National Democratic Congress(NDC) who wished the President should have been sworn in just hours after his victory in the polls.

Unfortunately for the two divergent views held by these sympathizers, the country is governed by law and laid down principles rather than wishes and feelings of individuals.

One may however understand those who belong to the NPP due to the several allegations they have raised concerning last year’s elections.

They believe their candidate; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won convincingly but due to some irregularities, the elections ended in favour of the current President. What even hurts some of them the most is the “winner takes all” syndrome which has overshadowed Ghana’s young democracy(since 1992), making it quite impossible to govern with other parties which lost in an election.

It has therefore entrusted its fate in the hands of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Ghana through a petition signifying its understanding of democracy.

For President Mahama’s administration, the first move being how to unite Ghana may encounter a few stumbling blocks. This is due to how some members of NPP are reluctant to co-operate by showing the President their “ Iron teeth” which can easily tear things apart.

With President Mahama being aware of this must do everything possible to get them to his side.

For instance, he must ensure that certain political appointments and contracts go to the side of the opposition parties which can help assemble the “best” materials for his administration…