By Paul Awuni
Former President and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer for the 2024 general election John Dramani Mahama is said to be very angry over reports that he is surreptitiously linking up with Russian oligarchs for massive financial support.
In a strongly-worded statement, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, spokesperson for the former President entreated Ghanaians to completely disregard what she described as lies.
A Russian media report picked by some media outlets in Ghana had indicated that Mr. Mahama had been in Russia to solicit funding from that country’s oligarchs for his 2024 presidential campaign.
The report by Dimitri Ivanov headlined “Exposing the Shadowy Russian Connection: John Mahama’s Dangerous Gamble for Ghana’s Future,” said “in a disturbing turn of events, subtle yet credible reports suggest that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, John Mahama, may be receiving campaign funding from Russian sources.”
This revelation followed Mr. Mahama’s latest endeavour to align himself with Russia by launching the Russian translation of his book, “My First Coup D’état,” originally written for Ghanaian audience.
The NDC flagbearer’s move raises serious concerns about his intentions and the potential repercussions for Ghana’s sovereignty and stability.
The Moscow connection
According to the report, while it may be like a benign cultural exchange, the timing and context suggest a more sinister agenda.
Russia’s growing influence in West Africa, particularly through its support of coups in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, indicates a strategic interest in the region.
These countries, being landlocked, offer limited strategic advantages compared to Ghana, which boasts crucial port access.
A book launch with hidden motives?
The report indicated that the translation and launch of Mahama’s book in Russia appeared to be part of a broader strategy to solidify ties with the Russian regime.
Given that the book was primarily written for a Ghanaian audience, its sudden relevance to Russian readers is puzzling at best.
This move could be seen as an attempt to curry favour with influential Russian figures, leveraging cultural diplomacy as a facade for deeper political and financial engagements.
Implications for Ghana
The prospect of Russian interference in Ghana’s democratic process is alarming.
Russia’s track record in West Africa, characterized by support for destabilizing coups, suggests that its involvement in Ghana could lead to similar turmoil. “A strategic alliance between Mahama and Russia could compromise Ghana’s sovereignty, turning the nation into a pawn in a larger geopolitical game.
“The potential for Russian influence to extend into Ghanaian politics, economy, and military affairs cannot be ignored.
“The promise of campaign finance in exchange for future concessions jeopardizes the nation’s independence and democratic values,” the report pointed out.
It further noted that Mr. Mahama’s desperation to secure financial backing for his campaign appears to have driven him to make dangerous alliances, risking Ghana’s future for personal political gain.
However, the former Ghanaian President’s spokesperson has since responded to the report.
Below is the full response from Joyce Bawah Mogtari:
Pro-government media outlets, Asaase Radio and Daily Guide on Thursday gave further meaning to their shadowy and unethical journalism practice with the publication of deliberately concocted stories accusing the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, of seeking assistance from the government of Russia for the 2024 election.
Over the last almost eight years, the government of Nana Akufo-Addo has relied on misinformation and disinformation as tools to whitewash the corrupt, deplorable, disrespectful, incompetent and maladministration that has pushed many Ghanaians into hardship and difficulty in making ends meet. We became aware on Thursday of the syndication of a pack of lies written by NPP propagandists and being passed off as news articles for various NPP tabloids and propaganda outlets including Asaase Radio and Daily Guide.
While it has always been obvious that Asaase Radio and its affiliates were established as conduits for government propaganda, one would have thought that after passing them off as media institutions, George Andah, Wilberforce Asare and co who shamelessly spread falsehood at every turn, will be minded by the need to at least remember that the practice of journalism comes with some ethics.
In deciding to join the Daily Guide and the Ministry of Information’s fake news factory, Asaase Radio must know that fabricating stories that claim that the NDC Flagbearer is in Russia to solicit financial and technical support towards the 2024 elections, when the available information and evidence of Mahama’s presence in Moscow is public, is a danger to our politics, casts a slur on Ghanaian journalism and unethical.
As has been published by responsible news outlets and on all his social media handles and website, www.johnmahama.org, Mr Mahama was in Moscow to launch the Russian language translation of his widely acclaimed memoir, My First Coup D’état and Other Stories from the Lost Decades of Africa, at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
In attendance at the well-attended, interactive and intellectually engaging presentation was Ghana’s Ambassador to Russia HE Dr Oheneba Akyaa Opoku Ware and her staff from the Embassy in Moscow. Were they there to support Mahama’s request for campaign funding? As a statesman of considerable repute, Mahama believes in fostering healthy relations among nations to promote global peace, security, and prosperity.
This is what he has been known for since his early days, as MP, Minister, Vice President, President and over the period he has been engaging many nations and institutions around the world promoting and putting Ghana and Africa’s across. We repudiate the unprofessional pseudo-journalists and media institutions who have made themselves willing conduits for the spreading of malicious lies against the NDC and Mr Mahama.
Their duplicitous conduct makes complete mockery of their training, if any, and the ethics of the profession.
To be part of a conspiracy to tell blatant lies about respectable individuals in aid of the NPP and Bawumia’s drowning campaign is the height of irresponsibility and utter recklessness.
We urge the discerning Ghanaian public to completely disregard these lies as no such thing has occurred. Mr Mahama and the NDC remain focused on engaging the people of Ghana on his well-considered and carefully curated vision, which will catalyse the reset of our country towards building the Ghana we want together. We must fight state capture, corruption and return Ghana to the path of good governance, prudent economic management and rapid development.
SIGNED:
Joyce Bawah Mogtari
Spokesperson
