By Napoleon Ato Kittoe
The mention of the name John Dramani Mahama rings a political bell in ears. Incontrovertibly, that is his destiny path. People speak of him as a man who has fully climbed the political ladder from its rudiments to the very top. That is to say, from an Assemblyman of a locale to the President of the Republic of Ghana. He has seen it all.
His prayerful mood, as this picture reveals, is likely to send people into guesswork as to which item lay uppermost in his supplications.
Well, Mr. Mahama turned 65 on November 29, 2023; thus, one cannot deny the fact that the flavor on the special occasion of November 29, 2023, is yet to die away. A thanksgiving communion for bringing him this far.
The politician that he is, he is most likely to have the next elections in mind. It is a make-or-break for him, but if he wins, he would have made history as the second Ghanaian Head of State to leave power and make a comeback non-consecutively. The first was recorded in 1981, but through military intervention.
That places Mr Mahama on the historic threshold of becoming one of the few world leaders whose comeback bids through democratic means were successful. Irrespective of the denominator, he would have joined the African ilk of Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, Olusegun Obasanjo and Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, Jean Bernardo Vierra of Guinea-Bissau, Dennis Sassou Nguesso of Congo, Didier Ratsirak and Marc Rajoelina of Madagascar, and Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone.
Mr Mahama knows too well that the political battle ahead of him is not a child’s play, despite several forecasts in his favour so far. A lot of factors come into play to ensure electoral victory, including those beyond his control.
Many viewpoints telescoping into each other appear to have a common ground, which is the belief that he is ordained to play a lead role in the contemporary politics of Ghana. The circumstances which marked his entry into active politics, the magnetism he brought to the ticket of the party as a running mate, which secured victory, and his dramatic ascension to substantive positions all suggest a certain divine bestowment.
It cannot be written about Mr Mahama that he has seen it all without pondering his rapid progression in political career. Certainly, one of these wavelengths is given to mitzvahs. Take it or leave it.
