Ghanaians Can Now Express Themselves Freely Without Fear, Thanks To Mahama

Ghana could have been described as a paradise when it comes to freedom of speech under previous Ghanaian leader John Mahama, who is returning to complete the excellent deeds he left behind. Despite all of his accomplishments, he was the most vilified leader; however, he didn’t detain or any journalist assassinated while in power. In a surprising turn of events, Ghanaians voted against Mahama, without even thinking that Akufo Addo, the man they loved, is deceptive and would become a despot.

It is not an exaggeration to say that under John Mahama's government, which had the best economy, thriving businesses, and investments, the former Ghanaian leader was the target of mockery, countless accusations, insults, and disrespect from an empire of deceitful enemies, including pastors, religious leaders, human rights organizations, and heads of organizations, who never valued his efforts and painted him as Ghana's most evil leader. Mahama absorbed them and lived with silence.

Ghanaians will agree that Mahama doesn’t talk much or boast about his accomplishments. He has excellent conversational skills and fearlessness when taking on challenges. He refused to defend himself against accusations. Instead of addressing the issues facing the people, the NPP government spent its eight years in power fighting Mahama, even though he was no longer president. It is easy to understand why the NPP failed as a government, aside from corruption and incompetence.

The politician, Akufo Addo, who allegedly told Ghanaians, "Give me power to serve you better, and when I fail, sack me," instead put in place a repressive government that terrified thousands of Ghanaians into silence. From a scientific perspective, Akufo Addo is a true dictator who consistently violates the Constitution to his advantage and appoints the highest number of judges to the Supreme Court, who terrorize Ghanaians as well, yet he keeps urging the military to follow and uphold democratic principles.

I authored an article that was published by one of Ghana's media outlets on March 12, 2021, explaining why it is clear that "Ghanaians are more afraid of Akufo-Addo than John Mahama." I spoke about Akufo Addo, who says he supports human rights but never treats Ghanaians properly or pays attention to what they have to say. However, those who rose against John Mahama remained silent when Ghanaians were really suffering and wished they could come out and speak against the abysmal government of the NPP.

While illicit mining has had a severe impact on the country, particularly the agricultural sector, corruption has increased and is hurting all aspects of the infrastructure, including the economy, businesses, and investments. The state is rotting, and while Ghanaians remain silent out of fear, the tribal state-sponsored media play music of praise for the president. Meanwhile, the party has taken over the state and is selling government properties, something Mahama never did.

As they say, "Time will always tell." Following John Mahama's decisive victory in the presidential election on December 7, people were freed from their psychological terror of Akufo Addo and turned out in force to voice their opposition to him. Celebrities, government officials, and many others who Ghanaians did not expect to hear their voices suddenly feel relieved to come out and speak against the president because the tyrant who didn’t respect Ghanaians kingdom has fallen.

Mahama did not imprison any of the Ghanaian journalists who made the worst remarks about him, including Paul Adom-Otchere, Omanhene Kobina Asante, Kwame Sefa Kai, state-sponsored NPP media, and tribal media like Bernard Antwi Bosiako's radio station. However, journalists who criticize the president were arrested by Akufo Addo's lawless government, which targets the opposition media. Under the president’s despotic rule, journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale was brutally murdered.

The coming out of a large number of people who have been silent for years to speak against Akufo Addo didn’t only eliminate the eight years of his continuous dread in Ghana but also exposed the president as a tyrant operating under the guise of democracy, governing terror, and making the populace live in constant fear. I have never witnessed such joy and enthusiasm emanating from Ghanaians and those in the Diaspora after the fall of the Akufo Addo-Mahamudu Bawumia government.