Former Ghana President, John Mahama, has coast home to victory in the keenly contested presidential election in the country.
Newsonspot reports that this is coming as Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the ruling party’s presidential candidate, has conceded defeat in Ghana’s 2024 elections.
Mahamudu Bawumia, has also congratulated the former President.
In a concession speech delivered on Sunday, Mr Bawumia, the candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), stated that internal data from his party indicates that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has secured victory in both the presidential and parliamentary polls.
According to report, the presidential election was conducted nationwide on Saturday. However, the Electoral Commission of Ghana has yet to officially announce the final results.
Writer And Music Fan
A writer and devotee of Afrobeat music, Mahama wrote in his memoir “My First Coup d’Etat – And Other True Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa” that he was changed by his boyhood experiences during a 1966 military coup.
He was born in northern Ghana as a child of privilege, his house being the only one in the village with a diesel generator.
His father, who served as junior minister, was briefly detained and interrogated by the 1966 coup leaders but was later released unharmed.
Mahama was also a member of parliament and chairman of the West Africa Caucus at the Pan-African Parliament in Pretoria.
On corruption, Mahama says he will create a new office tasked with scrutinising government procurement above a $5 million threshold.
He says unchecked procurement processes are a major source of corruption.
Mahama voiced support for the anti-LGBTQ bill passed by Ghana’s parliament in February but which is yet to be signed into law and has sparked international criticism.
But Mustapha Gbande, a spokesperson for Mahama’s campaign, had expressed confidence in the candidate’s chances.
“People are looking for change and they trust Mahama to steer the country in a better direction,” he said.
But Mahama’s tenure as president was marred by a severe energy crisis that led to persistent power cuts, known locally as “dumsor”, which dented his reputation.
Corruption allegations also plagued his administration, although no charges were formally filed against him.
Mahama’s campaign sought to counter criticism by emphasising his experience in international leadership, including his role in combating the Ebola crisis as chairman of regional West African bloc ECOWAS.
