I bet, if allegations connote guilt, NDC apparatchiks would have been languishing in Nsawam!

Given the squeamishly ugly nature of African politics, it cannot be deemed as presumptuousness by stating that politics in Africa is characterised by vindictiveness, mudslinging, needless bickering, manipulation, dishonesty, vile propaganda, rancour, and fiendish backstabbing, amongst others.

It is also true that every suspect has an inherent right to the presumption of innocence. However, it is the job of the Police to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, or to establish a prima facie case, and not a job for the suspect to prove his/her innocence.

Somehow, political observers believe that since NDC lost the 2016 election at the backdrop of admissible gargantuan corruption scandals (Bus branding, SADA, SUBA, GYEEDA, SSNIT, STS Housing deal, the Brazilian aircraft deal, and Mahama’s Ford Expedition Vehicle, amongst others), the loyalists of the party are doing everything possible to taint NPP with the same brush, hence incessantly trumpeting at the rooftop about spurious corruption allegations.

In fact, the bribery and corruption was so pervasive that, somewhere last year, a competent court of jurisdiction convicted and sentenced two of the numerous suspects of the previous NDC administration into prison for six and twelve years respectively.

As I write, an uncountable number of court cases are underway in various courts, involving the bribery and corruption suspects of the erstwhile Mahama administration.

Some officials from MASLOC, NCA, SSNIT, and Ghana Standards Authority, among others, have been arraigned before court for various charges of malfeasance.

Somewhere last year, the NDC founder and the former president of Ghana, J. J. Rawlings, audaciously came out and revealed that a former NDC minister extravagantly bought two luxurious mansions worth at a staggering $3 million from an estate agent in Accra shortly after the Mahama’s government exited power (see: ‘NDC minister grabs two mansions’; dailyguidenetwork.com, 12/06/2018).

In fact, it is not only the founder of NDC, J. J. Rawlings, who has been expressing grave concern over the wanton sleazes and corruption in the Mahama’s administration, some NDC stalwarts have previously voiced out concerns on the reprehensible behaviour.

Take, for instance, prior to the NDC’s 2019 flagbearership contest, the Honourable Bagbin, the MP for Nadoli Kaleo and a contestant of the NDC’s presidential race, attributed the humiliating defeat of Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2016 general elections to bad governance (See: ‘Mahama's boys bought V8, built mansions in 4 years – Bagbin; myjoyonline.com/ghanaweb.com, 19/08/2018).

Mr Bagbin was reported to have quizzed: “Don’t tell me that the boys that suddenly came closer to the president within four years can build mansions and buy land cruisers and you say there are no resources, where are they getting the money, their salaries?”

Should we then conclude that all the preceding allegations are gospel truth, and therefore all the suspects involved are guilty?

In fact, the election defeat appeared so painful to some NDC supporters who could not hide their arousing disgust over the unbridled sleazes and corruption in the outgone Mahama administration which to some large extent, contributed to the humiliating defeat.

The prominent among the disgruntled supporters is the Ex-President and founder of the party, J. J. Rawlings.

Interestingly, the extremely livid former President Rawlings has since been aiming accusing fingers at the derelict and corrupt NDC leadership for the 2016 election defeat.

Unsurprisingly, Ex-President Rawlings’s relentless accusations infuriated the brassbound NDC faithful, who discourteously decided to revenge by tearing their party founder, former President Rawlings into shreds.

Consequently, the disgusted supporters have vehemently been repudiating such allegations and rather accusing Rawlings as the one who has been indulging in corrupt practices.

Some supporters have gone to an extent of spurning Ex-President Rawlings and challenging him to evidence his corruption allegations against the NDC leadership.

But then again, it is not only Rawlings who has been accusing the Mahama administration of indulging in wanton sleazes and corruption.

A group of organisers within the opposition NDC who could not hide their disappointment about the rot in the erstwhile NDC administration beseeched the National Executives of the party to allow Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin to go unopposed in the party’s 2019 flagbearership contest(See: Alban Bagbin must go unopposed – NDC organisers; ghananewsagency.org/ghanaweb.com, 12/03/2018).

“So many people in the party feel Hon. Bagbin is the best person to lead us into 2020 and the reasons are pretty clear: he is the exact contrast to former President John Mahama in the matter of marketability and yet retains the Northern extraction that will satisfy the need to have a Northerner complete an eight-year mandate.”

Back then, the spokesperson for the group insisted somewhat passionately that since corruption would be a key campaign theme in 2020, and the fact that former President Mahama administration had issues with corruption, Ghanaian voters would be forced to reject him if he was to be elected as the next flagbearer.

Given the unpardonable rot in the erstwhile Mahama’s administration, some of us are not least surprised that some concerned supporters within the NDC have been ventilating their arousing disgust over the flagbearership of former President Mahama.

Ghana under the erstwhile NDC administration, as a matter of fact, went into economic asphyxiation, which regrettably brought to pass harsh socio-economic standards of living.

It is, therefore, quite bizarre that the NDC loyalists who are currently enjoying uninterrupted electricity, low inflation, tax reductions, favourable economic growth, and gargantuan savings on free SHS, amongst others, are blissfully clamouring for the return of Ex-President Mahama and their beloved NDC.

No true Ghanaian should shrill and thrill over the GH800 million dubious judgment debt payments, including the GH51.2 million to Woyome which resulted in the drastic reduction of capital expenditure.

Dearest reader, if you had managed to take time off your busy schedule to watch the Brazil World Cup Commission of Enquiry sittings on television, you would have realised that some people ridiculously shed crocodile tears to the amazement of discerning Ghanaians.

It was rumoured somewhat bizarrely that the crocodile tears shedding cabal bought a ball of ‘nkran dokono’ at an amazing price of $20.00, a whole coconut for $200.00 and paid the Brazilian escort an incredible $4000.00 per journey to a local market.

To be quite honest, the monies involved would have refurbished all the dilapidated sports stadia in the country to the benefit of the youth.

Let me ask you dearest reader: don’t you feel for the impoverished citizens of the Northern part of Ghana?

Well, if you really have the wellbeing of the poor and disadvantaged in Northern Ghana at heart, why is it that you are gleefully clamouring for the heartless individuals, who out of sheer cruelty, embezzled funds meant for development in the area through SADA to come back?

And how did you feel when millions of Cedis originally budgeted to develop our schools were bizarrely spent on bus branding?

Dearest reader, if the infamous Bus Branding wasn’t an illustrative case of a misplaced priority, what was it then?

It would, indeed, have been very helpful if the erstwhile NDC administration had not wilfully wasted Ghana’s scarce resources through wanton corruption and sheer mismanagement.

K. Badu, UK.

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