President John Dramani Mahama has recently shared personal insights into his initial reluctance to enter politics, attributing it to his father's traumatic experiences following a political coup. Emmanuel Adama Mahama, his father, was a prominent politician and the first Member of Parliament for the West Gonja constituency during Ghana's First Republic under President Kwame Nkrumah. He also served as the Northern Regional Minister.
In 1966, a coup d'état led to the overthrow of President Nkrumah's government. In the aftermath, Emmanuel Adama Mahama was arrested and imprisoned for two years. This period of incarceration left him deeply traumatized, leading him to withdraw from political life entirely upon his release.
Following his departure from politics, Emmanuel Adama Mahama turned his attention to agriculture, becoming a successful commercial rice farmer. He was recognized as Ghana's first commercial rice farmer, operating a rice mill and producing a significant portion of the country's rice supply during the 1970s.
Reflecting on his father's experiences, John Mahama explained that witnessing the profound impact of political turmoil on his father made him hesitant to pursue a career in politics himself. He noted that his father's trauma and subsequent aversion to political involvement were significant factors in his own initial indecision about entering the political arena.
Despite these reservations, John Mahama eventually embraced a political path, leading to his tenure as President of Ghana from 2012 to 2017 and his re-election in 2024. His journey underscores a complex interplay between personal history and public service, highlighting the enduring influence of familial experiences on individual career choices.
By: Lawrence Appiani Yeboah - Multicdb