Politics Is Not A Tea Party: Lessons From Atta Mills, Nana Akufo-Addo And John Dramani Mahama For Bawumia

Politics, everywhere in the world, is a hard and often unforgiving contest. It is not a tea party. It is not polite. It is not gentle. It is not fair. It is a battlefield of ambition, ego, betrayal, propaganda and survival. Anyone who enters it expecting loyalty, gratitude or civility will be disappointed.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s current experience—personal attacks and internal hostility from sections of his own party—is therefore not new. It is a familiar rite of passage for anyone who seeks the highest office in Ghana. History offers powerful lessons from three men who walked this same thorny path: Atta Mills, Nana Akufo-Addo and John Dramani Mahama.

PROFESSOR ATTA MILLS: BETRAYED, MOCKED AND UNDERMINED BY HIS OWN

Professor John Evans Atta Mills was once the most ridiculed and undermined flagbearer in Ghana’s political history. Within his own NDC, powerful figures openly worked against him. He was branded weak, indecisive and unfit to lead. Even after securing the flagbearership, some party elites never accepted him.

The internal fractures ran so deep that prominent figures such as Dr. Obed Asamoah, Goosie Tanoh and Nana Agyemang Rawlings—once close allies of Jerry Rawlings—felt alienated enough to break away and form their own parties. Their departures were not merely ideological; they were the product of intense internal warfare, personal vendettas and unresolved factional bitterness.

Atta Mills himself endured sabotage, humiliation and isolation. Many within his own party preferred his defeat to his victory. Yet he remained calm. He refused to fight dirty. He absorbed the insults and betrayal in silence. In the end, history vindicated him. He became President in 2009 not because every party elite supported him, but because the Ghanaian people trusted his character.

NANA AKUFO-ADDO: THE MOST HATED MAN IN HIS PARTY

If Atta Mills was undermined quietly, Nana Akufo-Addo was attacked openly and ferociously. Within the NPP, a powerful faction despised him.

Figures such as Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, Kwame Mpianim and Dr. Arthur Kennedy publicly criticized him, accusing him of arrogance, elitism and authoritarian tendencies. Some openly declared they would never support him, even as the party’s presidential candidate. Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe worked against the party’s own campaign efforts, while Dr. Arthur Kennedy crossed party lines to endorse John Mahama in 2012.

These were not fringe voices—they were respected party elders and former executives. Their hostility weakened internal cohesion and undermined Akufo-Addo’s early campaigns. He lost elections partly because some within his own party preferred his defeat.

Yet he endured. He ignored the insults, built a loyal grassroots base, and persisted through two painful defeats before finally becoming President in 2017.

JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA: BETRAYED BY HIS OWN

John Mahama’s internal battles intensified when rumours emerged that President Atta Mills intended to select him as running mate. Later, as President, he faced fierce criticism from the NDC’s own founder, Jerry John Rawlings.

One of his most relentless internal critics was his own appointee and longtime ally, Martin Amidu. Amidu publicly accused Mahama’s administration of corruption and betrayal of the Rawlings legacy. Through letters, interviews and legal actions, he significantly damaged the government’s moral authority and public credibility.

He was not alone. Other disgruntled insiders leaked information, undermined government messaging and fueled public cynicism from within.

Yet Mahama survived politically. Though he lost power, he remained relevant, rebuilt his image, returned stronger in opposition and reclaimed the presidency later.

THE BAWUMIA MOMENT: A FAMILIAR STORM

Dr. Bawumia’s current ordeal is not exceptional. It is normal. It is traditional. It is political.

Every serious contender for power in Ghana has faced vicious internal attacks. Every single one.

What Bawumia is experiencing today mirrors what Atta Mills endured with quiet dignity, what Akufo-Addo endured with stubborn persistence, and what Mahama endured with wounded resilience.

The common thread is simple:

• Politics is not a tea party.
• It is not a family meeting.
• It is not a church service.
• It is not a loyalty club.
• It is war—cold, psychological, strategic war.

FINAL WORD TO BAWUMIA

Dr. Bawumia must resist the temptation to personalize internal attacks. He must not waste emotional energy on bitterness, retaliation or despair. He must not allow betrayal to distract him.

If Atta Mills could rise from humiliation to the presidency,

If Akufo-Addo could rise from internal hostility to become a three-time flagbearer and President,

If Mahama could rise from internal sabotage to political resurrection,

Then Bawumia too can survive this storm.
Internal enemies are not a prophecy of defeat; they are often a sign that one is close to power.

History is clear:
Those who endure the longest insults often wear the crown.

By Iddi Adam Osman
Larabanga
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