Some of us, so to speak, could not hide our utter bewilderment over Ex-President Mahama’s somewhat bizarre assertion that it was God who made NDC lose to NPP in the 2016 general elections in order for Ghanaians to differentiate between ‘water and alcohol’.

If you may recall, prior to the NDC’s 2019 flagbearership race, Ex-President John Dramani Mahama claimed somewhat spuriously that he is vying for the slot because he owes God a duty to redeem the suffering Ghanaians from economic enslavement (emphasis mine).

Ironically, however, ever since the former president won the NDC’s 2019 flagbearership contest, the 2020 flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been ‘blaming’ God for his humiliating 2016 election defeat.

The overarching question every discerning Ghanaian should be asking then is: did the so-called redeemer Mahama manage to redeem the poor and disadvantaged Ghanaians from the extreme economic bondage in the eight years of NDC’s administration?

You may believe it or not, but in spite of our divergent political and religious views, the notion of Jehovah God’s divine providence or control in a system which depends solely on universal adult suffrage (the will of the people) creates tough questions, so to speak.

In recent times, some of us have been listening and reading, albeit with extreme incredulity to former President Mahama and the NDC loyalists somewhat sophistic argument that the NPP government has messed the economy in less than four years in office and therefore will most likely return to the Jubilee House in 2020 with God’s divine intervention.

Let us admit though, it is extremely nauseating for former President Mahama and his teeming supporters to keep hiding behind the biblical narratives and put words in God’s mouth.

Sad but true, the invocation of God’s name in every facet of life in Ghana has been the norm.

In Ghana today, all sorts of people have made it a habit of hiding behind the Holy Book (Bible) and shamefully proselytising and hoodwinking unsuspecting truth seekers.

Yes, the pretentious geezers have succeeded in proselytizing and fleecing unsuspecting truth seekers, who only want adulterated, more 'palatable' forms of Truth, watered down and compromised for convenience.

In the same vein, the political manipulators would often seek refuge in the Holy Book and try to manipulate a section of the voting public into accepting that it is God who predestines someone like President Mahama to lead the nation.

Of course, the political tricksters will always succeed in brainwashing some gullible truth seekers who doubled up as eligible voters in accepting such red herring.

Let us even agree that it was God who appointed Mahama to steer the affairs of the nation. But is the same God going to allow the people of Ghana to suffer again under the insensitive, corrupt and incompetent NDC government so soon?

If we were to accept the invertebrate apologists' somewhat spurious biblical narratives that it is God who ordains every leader, then, we may infer for example, that the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq was enstooled by God. And what was his fate following his perceived shenanigans? Wasn’t he brought down to his knees by God? He was indeed humiliated.

The overarching question again then is: did the Omnipresent God also ordain leaders like Milosevic of Serbia, Charles Taylor of Liberia, Daddy Iddi Amin of Uganda, Mengistu of Ethiopia, Neto of Angola, Najibullah of Afghanistan, who brought nothing but socio-economic anguish to their citizens as it happened in President Mahama’s administration?

In fact, if those leaders were ordained by God to lead their respective nations, then they failed woefully and were dethroned by God accordingly.

Strangely though, former President Mahama is refusing to acknowledge the fact that his calamitous errors in judgement amid rampant corruption, untold economic hardships and business crippling dumsor largely contributed to his 2016 humiliating election defeat, but not God who made him to lose.

How can Mahama blame God for his rejection by discerning Ghanaians, when his sibling Ibrahim Mahama revoltingly took advantage of his presidency and blatantly refused to pay import taxes to the tune of over GH12 million?

Why must Mahama blame God for his historic defeat when he egregiously gave away 58% of Ghana’s bauxite to his sibling Ibrahim Mahama to the utter disgust of discerning Ghanaians?

How could former President Mahama fecklessly give apologists like Madam Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) two four wheel drive cars and a luxury bungalow (estimated to cost a staggering $470,000) for no work done, and then turn around and blame God for his historic election defeat?

Why must former President Mahama blame God for his humiliating defeat when he wilfully dragged an economic growth of 14% in 2011 to a miserable 3.4% by December 2016?

God could not have caused Mahama’s defeat when he abysmally raised Ghana’s total debt from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to a staggering GH122.4 billion by December 2016 with little to show for.

Mahama cannot blame God for his defeat when he dreadfully reduced the GDP of $47 billion in 2011 to $40 billion by December 2016.

How can Mahama blame God when the agricultural sector grew consistently in the negative?

God could not have masterminded Mahama’s defeat when the industry sector grew appallingly. .

The fact of the matter is that Ex-President Mahama thinks Ghanaians still suffer from chronic memory loss and can keep taking everyone else for granted.

As election 2020 draws closer, discerning Ghanaians must take solace and rest assured that inasmuch as Jehovah God is in control, we are not merely to rest in Jehovah God’s divine providence, but to briskly exhibit His character in the choices we make.

In sum, political leaders may emerge under Jehovah God’s providence, but in so far as we gleefully pick them, we will be held responsible for whether they meet with His approval or not.

K. Badu, UK.

k.badu2011@gmail.com