A former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development from 1990 to 2001, Professor Kwamena Ahwoi has said former President John Dramani Mahama partially failed in his administration because he surrounded himself with people who didn't belong to the National Democratic Congress.

According to him, some of the lapses saw during Mahama's tenure as President could have been avoided if he had core party people around him.

“I think that the biggest mistake at the beginning of his presidency was to surround himself with people who were not core NDC members. His special advisor was not, his secretary was not, secretary to the cabinet was not, so many of them,” he revealed.

He added that“ there was a divorce between the government and the party, and therefore it was not easy for the party’s programmes to have been implemented”

Earlier this year, former National Security advisor to former President, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah alleged that former President John Dramani Mahama failed as President because he surrounded himself with kids “without brains”.

“President Mills may he rest in peace, as a politician you must come to power with a certain mindset, Nkrumah and Mills were different. Mills is like a pastor, we sit to have a chat. Mills never failed because he had people with brains around him but Mahama came and he pushed them all away and brought the young ones, kids don’t play football,” he told Happy FM.

He promptly denied that his comment had anything to do with being booted out as soon as President Mahama took over as President: “Never, I’m never embittered, because I have been sacked several times but I’m never bitterer because I put Ghana first. I have to be concern about how the country is being ruled,” he claimed.

The ex-soldier lost his role as Security Advisor when President Mahama ascended to power as an elected President in 2013.