I AM NOT DESPERATE TO BE PREZ

Mr. John Dramani Mahama, Vice President

Vice President John Dramani Mahama has stated that he is not desperate to be President of Ghana.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle in his office yesterday, in reaction to the use of T-shirts which had his effigy embossed on them, during the recent bye-election held in the Atiwa constituency in the Easting region, he said the fact that people were seen wearing the T-shirts did not mean that he was working to undermine President Mills.

'I have a working relationship with my President, and will do my work loyally in accordance with the oath I swore to the people of Ghana, I did not contest Mills in 2008, and I will not contest him in 2012,' he noted.

He explained that the T-shirts, which his opponents were using against him, were leftovers from the 2008 election campaign, and were not new T-shirts meant to further any presidential ambition.

'I am 51 years old, and by the grace of God, I believe I have many more years of life ahead of me,'he said.

According to him, due to advance in age, some politicians were desperate to become president of the country, because they believe time is running out for them. These people, he noted, see him   as a stumbling block to their ambitions.

Vice President Mahama further told The Chronicle that President Mills had said on several occasions said that he would seek a second term of office, and that should lay any speculations to rest.

'I want to say once more, and emphatically, that I would support President Mills to seek a second term in office. I would never contest for the presidency against President Mills.

'For me, political office is not a matter of life and death, as it is for some people. I have many ways of fruitfully spending my time if I leave politics today. I am interested in agriculture, and I also intend to write a book. I believe our destinies are in the hands of God, and leadership is bestowed by God.

'If God does not will it, all the macho men and T-shirts in this world will never win you leadership. The call to serve one's people is an honourable one, and I am grateful to the people of Ghana for giving me the opportunity to serve in the high office of Vice President,' he ended.