Wia dis foto come from, Reuters
- Author, Wedaeli Chibelushi
- Role, BBC News
John Dramani Mahama na former Ghana president – and now im don come back to try get di top job again.
Di 65-year-old bin lead Ghana from 2012 to 2017 and na one of di most experienced politicians for di West African kontri.
Im bin serve at all levels of office, as Member of Parliament, deputy minister, minister, vice-president and president.
Long bifor e become career politician, politics bin play important part for Mahama childhood.
Wen Mahama bin just dey seven, im papa wey bin be goment minister, bin land prison during one military coup, and later im go exile.
Wia dis foto come from, AFP
Personal trials like dis appear for Oga Mahama writing wey bin gada plenty hailing – plenty international news organisations bin publish am.
And im memoir, My First Coup D’etat, win praise from two African literary greats, Ngugi wa Thiong’o and Chinua Achebe.
Wen im bin dey write im manifesto for dis year elections, Mahama tell voters say Ghana “dey go di wrong direction and dem need to rescue am”.
But critics dey argue say im fit no be di right man for di job, as par say im administration bin get economic problems plus some corruption scandals.
Mahama journey begin for 1958, wen dem born am for northern town of Damongo.
Afta few years, im move go di kontri capital, Accra, to live wit im papa, Emmanuel Adama Mahama.
For im memoir My First Coup d’Etat, Mahama Jr describe imsef as “an observant child wit active imagination and unbounded curiosity”.
Im bin also dey privileged somehow.
Di family bin get anoda house for di town of Bole, wey bin no dey national grid dat time.
Mahama parents bin get money to buy diesel generator for dia six-bedroom house.
Area pipo bin dey gada outside dia house for night, to look di orange glow.
Di future president bin attend Achimota boarding school, one prestigious school wey popular for educating heads of state like Ghana Jerry John Rawlings, Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe and Kwame Nkrumah wey be Ghana first prime minister afta di kontri get independence from UK.
Na for Achimota, for 1966, na im Mahama hear say coup don happun.
Military and police men storm Ghana goment buildings, seizepower from Nkrumah, wey bin dey foreign trip.
As updates dey enta, Mahama become more anxious – im no hear anytin from im papa.
Seven-year-old Mahama fear say dem don kill im papa sake of im connection to Nkrumah.
But im papa bin dey prison – im bin remain for prison for nearly one year.
For 1981, afta di second military coup, Mahama papa run leave di kontri go Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Mahama spend im twenties and thirties dey go school – im get one Communication Studies degree from University of Ghana bifor im go study for Moscow Institute of Social Sciences.
Mahama say im stay for Russia, wey bin be part of Soviet Union dat time, bin alert am to “di imperfections of di socialist system”.
Afta returning to Ghana for 1996, Mahama follow im papa footsteps, enta politics.
Dem elect am as Member of Parliament for di National Democratic Congress (NDC) party and from dia, im begin rise through di political ranks.
Im zoom into di NDC messaging, take offices like di parliament tok-tok pesin and minister for communication.
Inside 13 years, Mahama work im way up to become vice-president, second-in-command under President John Atta Mills.
But afta just three years for office, Mills die unexpectedly at di age of 68.
Just hours after dis tragedy, dem swear in 58-year-old Mahama as president.
For im speech, Mahama describe dat day as di “saddest” for Ghana history.
Ghana later do general elections dat year and voters choose to keep Mahama for office.
So which kain leader Mahama be? Franklin Cudjoe, one Ghanaian political commentator and head of di Imani Centre for Policy and Education, tell BBC say di former president bin be “excellent communicator”.
While political scientist Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko describe Mahama as “pragmatist” or pesin wey dey practical for tins wey im dey do.
Mahama get wetin oyinbo dey call it-factor but only for environment wia ” reality and intelligent communication dey drive politics “, Dr Sefa-Nyarko, wey dey lecture on African leadership for King College, London, tok.
But for di current Ghana, na over-hyped pledge im dey totori voters, according to Dr Clement Sefa-Nyarko, wey mean say pragmatic Mahama “no go fit to charm di pipo much”.
Wen im bin dey campaign to stay for power before di 2016 elections, Mahama highlight different projects wey im administration bin complete, like di ones for transportation, health, and education sectors.
But for im goment, Ghanaians also experience sick economy and no electricity.
Dem bin give Mahama nickname “Mr Dumsor” sake of di blackouts wey dem bin dey experience – “dum” mean off and “sor” mean on in the local Twi language.
Corruption scandals also spoil im tenure. For example, one UK court find say aviation giant Airbus bin use bribes to get contracts wit Ghana for military planes between 2009 and 2015 – but Ghana Office of di Special Prosecutor conclude say e no get evidence say Mahama bin dey involved for di corrupt activities imsef.
E get “issues wey still dey ground” surround di bribe scandals – di ones wey dis current voters go “remember”, Cudjoe tok.
But im also points out say, according to Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), corruption become worse under Nana Akufo-Addo, wey beat Mahama for di 2016 elections.
Ghana bin get average of 45.8 under Mahama but drop to 42 under Akufo-Addo for di CPI ranking wia zero equal to “highly corrupt” and 100 na “very clean”.
Wia dis foto come from, US Embassy in Ghana/Facebook
Mahama bin attempt to win im old job back for 2020, but lose to Akufo-Addo once again.
Despite dis defeats, Mahama bin remain inside politics – im currently be leader of di opposition.
Im also dey enjoy busy life away from politics – im get seven children and e dey spend time wit im wife, Lordina.
Mahama na ogbonge writer. Asides from im memoir, im don write for media outlets like The New York Times, leading African-American magazine Ebony, and Ghana state-owned Daily Graphic.
Mahama don also express im passion for music, saying Nigeria Afrobeat icon Fela Kuti help am form “political consciousness” and say Michael Jackson na “one of di greatest artistes wey don ever live”.
And for one full-circle moment, one song by Ghanaian dancehall star Shatta Wale, Mahama Paper, immortalise di former president.
Shatta Wale say di title dey refer to di Ghanaian banknotes wey dem bin print during Mahama administration.
Naturally, Mahama don use dis hit for im current campaign, pointing out say under Akufo-Addo, Ghana enta im worst economic crisis in years.
Im don also remind Ghanaians of im extensive political experience but di fact remain – dem vote am out of power once bifor as di public bin feel say im performance no dey good enough.
Mahama dey try convince voters say dis time go dey different – one communications whizz dey hope say im message dey clear enough to win am second chance for Ghana highest office.
Additional reporting by Thomas Naadi for Accra
