I’m an Ambassador of Ghana, not NPP – Edward Mahama
The newly appointed Ambassador-at-large, Dr Edward Mahama, has described as an honour his appointment by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
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He has also described criticisms by the Chairman and General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Bernard Monarh and Atik Mohammed, as an attempt to spite him.
The 2016 flagbearer of the PNC in a radio interview on Accra-based Citi FM said his decision to accept the appointment was in the interest of the state and not of a political party.
“I am quite clear in my conscience that he [President Akufo-Addo] has appointed me Ambassador of Ghana, not of the PNC or the NPP and I have always since my youth wanted to serve Ghana”.
Betrayal
In an earlier interview on Citi FM, Mr Monarh said Dr Mahama’s acceptance of President Akufo-Addo's appointment was a betrayal to the party and to his own principles.
According to him, the former flagbearer had on some occasions subpoenaed party members who had been appointed by previous governments or shown support to some persons of other political parties and had even on some occasions rejected some appointments by former heads of state.
“Edward Mahama had refused to become vice president of Ghana. He had led and supervised the suspension of party members who did not allow their appointment to come to the party before they were appointed into other positions like Mallam Issah. Even Thomas Atiga, the Ashanti Regional Secretary then who went to support Patricia Appiagyei’s candidature in Asawase .... were all dismissed because Dr Mahama won’t countenance it. And those other individuals who went their way, he considered that as poaching of our members. And we have been lampooned together including Ambrose Dery among others.”
“And so when I heard that Edward Mahama had gone to accept the position, I said it was not true because Edward Mahama will resort to the party before he can take such a decision only for me to wake up this morning for media houses to be playing his voice saying that he has confirmed. I was left without bones. I said this cannot be true,” he added.
“It weakens the ability to say that it is the Edward Mahama I know because the PNC as I said has not been consulted,” he noted.
Mr Mornah further stated that the party would soon take a decision on the former flagbearer which includes possible expulsion in line with precedence.
“I would want to establish the principles of democracy by calling a meeting of the party at which point maybe he will avail himself to tell us what really informed the decision. I think that for his own integrity…maybe he needs to apologise to former President Rawlings, for refusing to serve the nation when he invited him. Maybe he needs to apologise to former President Kufuor, for refusing to become vice president and later minister for health because they will not route it through the party. And today he has accepted an appointment without recourse to the party. Maybe he needs to apologise to the party and those other individuals who suffered his iron handedness because they will accept position—Mallam Issah in particular. It will not do him any good because he had crucified others for doing same. It will be better for him in the eyes of all of us,” Mr Mornah added.
In a separate interview on Neat FM, Atik Mohammed, the General Secretary reiterated similar sentiments and said Mr Mahama should have consulted the party before accepting the appointment.
Consultation with party
Describing his appointment as an honour from the President, Dr Mahama noted that Mr Mornah was either “speaking out of ignorance or outright malice.”
“This is an honour from the President of Ghana. Any Ghanaian who would refuse an honour from the President of Ghana in this particular context as an Ambassador of Ghana not as NPP…I’m serving Ghana and this is what I’ve tried to do all my life so anybody who says you shouldn’t do anything for Ghana because your party is not in power, I don’t agree with that. He’s speaking out of ignorance or outright malice. I have not contradicted any party rules,” he said.
He explained that his reasons for rejecting the position of vice president from former President Kufuor was because his party and that of the NPP were running on different ideologies and manifestoes.
“What I did not do in 2000 was that I would not serve as vice president unless it was a party to party agreement. A vice-president is serving under a particular manifesto that the candidate puts up in the year he’s elected. Ambassador is ambassador for Ghana. There is a difference.”
He added further that even if he had declined the position, “those people who are now saying I should have declined it will now say that ‘he only wants to be president. He’s run five times. They offered him this he has declined it. They offered him that and he declined it. What do you want Edward Mahama. They would have been saying that to me now’”.
Dr Mahama stressed that as far as he was concerned, the appointment was in the interest of the country because, “the president thinks that there are specific things he wants me to do and he thinks that I can do them.”
He noted therefore that whatever he is asked to do, he will do it to the glory of God and to the satisfaction of the President.