Veteran journalist and political commentator Kwesi Pratt Jnr has alleged that President John Mahama is facing betrayal from within his own government, claiming that some appointees are more interested in succession politics than helping to implement the administration’s policy agenda.
Speaking in an interview, Pratt described the situation within the governing National Democratic Congress as troubling and potentially damaging to the President’s legacy.
“To be honest, I feel very sad for President John Dramani Mahama; the betrayal of President John Dramani Mahama is monumental,” Pratt stated.
According to him, President Mahama assumed office with a clear agenda aimed at addressing challenges in critical sectors such as education, healthcare and the broader economy through what he termed a “reset agenda.”
“This is a gentleman who came to the people of Ghana and said, look, there are problems with the country, and I want to solve the problems in the educational sector, health sector and so on. He proclaimed a reset agenda,” Pratt said.
However, he alleged that several individuals appointed to support the implementation of that vision had shifted their attention away from governance and toward political ambition.
“And he appointed people to assist him to realise that objective. Many of the people he appointed to help him realise that objective don’t just care. They don’t care about reset. They don’t care about restructuring the economy. All they care about is replacing him,” he claimed.
Pratt further suggested that President Mahama was becoming increasingly isolated within his own administration and struggling to maintain control over internal political manoeuvring.
“Poor Mahama. Poor Mahama. And he’s sitting there being held hostage,” he said.
He also criticised what he described as the President’s inability to firmly deal with individuals allegedly engaging in premature succession campaigns.
“He’s not been able to crack the whip. They’re dancing around him in circles and making nonsense of all the proclamations he has made, it’s unbelievable,” Pratt added.
The veteran journalist argued that discussions among supporters of the NDC, particularly on social media platforms, had become dominated by debates over who would succeed President Mahama rather than how to implement the government’s flagship policies.
“Visit the NDC social media platforms and see what is happening there. Who is talking about how to achieve the 24-hour economy? That’s not their concern. It’s about who is going to replace Mahama,” he stated.
Pratt warned that the growing focus on succession politics could weaken the President politically and undermine efforts to build a lasting legacy.
“So the people he appointed to help him leave a legacy are saying to us, ‘Oh, don’t worry, very soon you’ll become a lame duck.’ That’s what they say. They say, ‘By next year, you’ll be a lame dog. You have no power. We don’t have to respect him. So let’s start our campaign,’” he alleged.