[ 2017-03-28 ]

Former President, John Mahama

I almost quit politics in 2008 - Mahama
Former President John Mahama has revealed he
almost quit politics to go into private business
in 2008.

He said he had to stay in public service because
the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by the
late president Mills won the presidential
elections that year.

Mr Mahama made the revelation when he spoke at the
first official reading of his first book 'My first
Coup D'etat' at the University of Ghana Tuesday.
There has been a rancorous debate within the
opposition NDC which he led into the 2016
elections over his political future.

While Mr Mahama's immediate family has insisted
that he calls time on local politics, some leaders
of the party including the National Organiser Kofi
Adams, Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, Nii
Lantey Vanderpuye have dismissed the idea.

They argue that Ghana’s first one-term President
is the NDC’s best bet for Election 2020.

Mr Mahama’s younger brother, Ibrahim Mahama, has
said the former President’s family had been
advising him not to contest the NDC primary to
select a candidate for 2020, adding, “He (former
President Mahama) agreed with us.”

“John has given his all in politics to the NDC
and Ghana and we think it is just fair that we
allow him to rest. We were very supportive and
instrumental in convincing him to partner the late
Prof. J.E.A. Mills.

"And when the time came for him to contest for
president, we supported him and advised him to go
for it…Now we have advised him not to make a
comeback in 2020,” he said.

When Joy News' Latif Iddrisu asked the former
President if he has abandoned politics to
concentrate on writing books, he declined to
comment about his future political ambition.

The former president, however, hinted that he is
working on a second book but wouldn't tell when it
would be completed.

'My First Coup d'etat', the former President
revealed has also been published in Portuguese.

The book reading by Mr Mahama thrilled the
hundreds of students, former ministers as well as
members of the general public who were in
attendance.

A retired police officer also showed up at the
reading session with his own book, 'Fighting
Corruption'.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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