FORMER PRESIDENT John Dramani Mahama has caused a stir as he has attributed his successive 2016 and 2020 electoral defeats to superstition.
He said he was very sure that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) caused his rejection by the electorate through spiritual means.
According to him, he did everything possible to transform the country during his one term as president, as he embarked on several huge infrastructural projects.
Sadly, he bemoaned, the electorate seemed not to have seen his positive works as they voted him out of political office and insisted that it was the NPP’s spiritual dealings that caused his defeat.
Mr. Mahama, who was being interviewed on Kofi TV, said there were two factors namely physical and spiritual that led to his electoral defeat and his eventual exit from political office in 2016.
Spiritual Aspect
As President, he said, he did his best, in terms of infrastructural development, so he was expecting the electorates to reciprocate his good works with avalanche of votes.
Unfortunately, he recounted, the electorates seemed not to have seen his hard work as they voted against him, heightening his suspicion that perhaps some spirits caused his defeat.
“I believe that two things; spiritual and physical aspects caused my electoral defeat. On the spiritual aspect, you could see that the people clearly did not see my projects.
“Sometimes people become blindfolded so they will not see one’s positive actions and efforts to bring transformation just as it happened to me,” he lamented, adding “all that I did to develop the state did not please the people and I suspect some spirits caused that.”
Without producing any evidence to back his wild claim, the ex-president said, “I am sure some actions took place in the spiritual realm so the people could not see my good works.”
Still defending his stance, he said for the fact that his interviewer was not aware that he (Mahama) commissioned the Accra Digital Centre was enough proof that some spirits prevented the people from seeing his good works.
“You see, I commissioned the Accra Digital Centre as President and the media was there to cover, but because some spirits blindfolded the people, yourself included, you are not aware of it,” ex-President Mahama stated.
Physical Aspect
Mr. Mahama said the NPP deliberately used propaganda to discredit his good works, ahead of the polls.
“There was too much propaganda being orchestrated by the NPP, therefore they managed to direct the public’s attention and mind from my numerous infrastructural projects,” he added.
Mr. Mahama used the Kasoa Interchange project as an example to buttress his claim that he and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were overwhelmed by the NPP propagandists.
According to him, the Kasoa Interchange project was broad as it consists of three bridges, construction of three schools for Kasoa communities and construction of 21 kilometre road from Kasoa to Amasaman.
As part of the same project, he said “a different bridge was also constructed and a well was dug to provide potable drinking water for over 20 communities around Kasoa.”
Mr. Mahama said because of propaganda, President Akufo-Addo after inspecting the project, peddled falsehood that he (Mahama) had inflated the contract sum to enrich himself, which he said is false.
“Nana Addo only watched the interchange without taking into account the digging of wells, additional 21 kilometre road project, the building of schools and the rest, and accused me wrongly,” he pointed out.
Swiss Bank Account
Mr. Mahama also said reports by elements in the NPP that he (Mahama) and his wife (Lordina) diverted a whopping US$100 million World Bank money, meant for the country, into their Swiss Accounts, was false.
Even though he did not deny or confirm that he has an account in the Swiss Bank, the former President stated that “it is never true that I and my wife stole World Bank cash into our accounts.”
Dubai Hotel
Also, he said wild reports that he (Mahama) was fabulously rich and that he owned a plush and expensive hotel in Dubai, which made rounds in the country before the 2016 and 2020 polls, was palpably false.
Mr. Mahama said, “I have not built or own any hotel in Dubai as they spread the wild rumours. All these were part of the NPP propaganda to dent my image.”
Expensive Ship
According to the former President, he doesn’t own any ship at the Tokyo Harbour as was spread around by some NPP members to discredit him.
Guinea Fowl Migration
Mr. Mahama also flatly debunked reports that some Guinea fowls being reared in the country as part of a government project, migrated to neighbouring Burkina Faso, saying “it is part of the NPP propaganda. They did not even understand the whole project.”
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi