The prophets have spoken again. A Mahama third term is no more in the womb of time; it is on the desks of some big people in Parliament.
Every day, they look at the proposal and take a wide panoramic scan of the political terrain, and belch out a huge laugh at the standard bearers of the NPP.
They also look inward–into their own camp and wonder how those who want to succeed Mahama missed the plot of the NDC presidential story.
In 2028, the ballot sheet will have President Mahama smiling at us and asking us to vote for him again.
The prophets say he will win. Again.
Supernatural Mahama
The prophecy–from the stables of Prophet Roger–is not to be taken lightly.
His words about the fallen helicopter a few months ago shook the nation, prompting the interfaith and ecumenical office at the presidency to consider setting up a desk to collect and review the sayings of God through our prophets.
Roger is often spot on. He predicted the recent coup in Guinea-Bissau.
There are seers, and there are prophets. Ghana has both.
Usually they report death and sickness. Mahama got lucky.
President Kufour hinted at a third term–not for himself–but for future presidents.
Did the prophets speak too late or too soon?
Has President Mahama become too spiritual lately, perhaps to position himself well to receive from God about his political future?
Before winning his second presidential term, the President and wife, Lordina, reportedly sponsored the construction of ten legacy church buildings for the Assemblies of God church, furnished with pews and other facilities, including accommodation for pastors.
It is also speculated that the President avoided the August helicopter crash when his wife altered his schedule to choose a church invitation over the ill-fated journey to Obuasi.
Last week, John Mahama showed his spiritual side at Action Chapel’s Impact Conference when he reproduced Apostle Joshua Selman’s sermon.
What does the Bible say about breaking constitutional term limits? Will President John Mahama transform into a Babylonian emperor to sit on the heads of the citizenry?
The other day, we devoted these columns to talking about the rippers and weavers in Ghanaian politics.
The rippers are like Donald Trump and former President JJ Rawlings.
They are iconoclasts who tear up the script. They see politics as a game they must win, willy-nilly.
Rippers do not care about the destruction and disruption their win leaves behind.
Weavers are like Asomdwehene John Atta Mills and John Agyekum Kufour. They are patient, methodical and forgiving.
Third term U-turn
Weavers are fixers who believe in consensus and may go as far as stretching forth a kind hand to detractors, to let peace win. Barack Obama is a fine example.
John Mahama has been a weaver all his life, being the only political actor with the enviable record of losing presidential elections by the millions, and coming back to win by even bigger millions.
His party enjoys a super majority in parliament, enough to rewrite nearly every clause in the constitution and even chip at entrenched provisions.
Some say the Mahama third term started with the removal of Chief Justice Araba Torkonoo. Already, there are petitions targeting the Electoral Commission Chair and her two deputies. The prophets did not predict these.
If President John Dramani Mahama goes for a third term, he would have ripped Ghana’s presidential script, which constitutionally places a two-term limit on presidential terms.
The prophets say a Mahama third term is good for Ghana.
But is it good for our democracy? Is Ghana prepared to rip the script and sow our democratic oats, before we get back to settling for the routines of what is normal and what is globally acceptable?
Are the third-term examples in our region worthy of emulation? What will Kofi Bentil and civil society say about a third term? What will Kwesi Pratt and Prof. H Kwasi Prempeh say if Ghana replays the Ivorian script?
The Mahama second term has been termed his legacy years. He wants to leave bold footprints in the sands of time.
He wants history to be kind to our memory of who he was and what he did as the most prominent politician of our fourth republic.
He doesn’t only want to be remembered as the fourth John in Manasseh Azure Awini’s books; he wants to be the John who blazed the trail and fixed Ghana.
He wants Ghana to remember and snap out of our short memory about what he did as a leader.
When Mahama says no
If a Mahama third term was firmly on the cards, as spoken by the prophets, the President himself may have shot down the idea by his message at the Impact Conference.
Referencing Apostle Selman, Mahama sermonised: “Let your success define you. Success will find you because of who you are, and not what you did. It is not being aggressive for success, it is having the right alignment of signs behind you that will make you successful”.
He also alluded to Selman’s repeated use of the word ‘recalibrate,’ which the president said resonated with his ‘Reset’ agenda. Africa, don’t be upset, Mahama admonished and signed off to big applause.
As shown at Impact, President Mahama enjoys the goodwill of Ghanaians.
He has remained a likeable personality from his days as Assemblyman, Member of Parliament, deputy minister of communications, minister, vice-president and president.
Is he prepared to upset Africa with his aggression for success? Do we trust John Mahama?
The man who did not want to be vice-president until the Asantehene stepped in?
The man who swore he was done with politics after his electoral defeat, but came back?
A third term might seem preposterous to him.
But with Mahama, things can change, especially when a superior voice plays God.
Tissues Of The Issues
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