• Both Nana Akufo-Addo and John Mahama have made controversial comments
• A professor says none of them will incite political instability
• Prof. Agyeman-Duah says the country should not let its guard down
John Dramani Mahama’s ‘do or die’ comments will not negatively affect the political stability in the country, just as the infamous ‘all die be die’ comment of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo didn’t, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah has stated.
The Chief Executive Officer of the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation, however, explained that the political leadership of the country should work towards strengthening democratic institutions so that the country is not plunged into political instability, Citi News has reported.
“I don’t think what I am saying means that we cannot be affected by that (military coup). We are Africans, that is why I said that it is dangerous to even categorize yourself as different because the same forces that are influencing development in these countries are the same forces that we have here,” he said.
Prof Agyeman-Duah said that the statement by John Mahama should not get people worry but added that there is the need for the country not to let its guard down.
“As for former President Mahama’s statement, that shouldn’t worry us. After all, the current President [Nana Akufo-Addo] made a similar statement and that didn’t change anything… So, I don’t take it seriously, but on a more serious note, we shouldn’t let down our guards. We have to continue strengthening our institutions,” he said.
During his ‘Thank You’ tour of the Bono region, John Dramani Mahama, while speaking on a radio station, stated that from the fallouts of the 2020 polls, the National Democratic Congress will treat the 2024 polls as a “do-or-die” affair.
The former president has since refused to apologize for the comments although a flood of people have described the comments as distasteful, unfortunate, and one that could incite his supporters to violence.
He has maintained that the ‘do or die’ comment is an ‘idiomatic expression’ that is meant to show how vigilant the NDC intends to be in the 2024 elections.