Prior to the 2020 general elections, Otumfuo Osei-TuTu II hit the nail on the head when he boldly and forthrightly told former President Mahama that Ghanaians voted against him during the 2016 general elections largely due to ‘hunger and anger’.

I could not agree more. Otumfuo was absolutely right: Mahama’s calamitous errors in judgment resulted in harsh socio-economic standards of living.

Mahama should, therefore, accept his catastrophic mistakes and apologize to Ghanaians for wilfully imposing untold economic hardships.

That being said, much as the critics have their democratic rights to criticize Ex-President Mahama for deciding to stage a presidential comeback despite his terrible errors in judgment which sent Ghana’s economy deeper and deeper into the mire, he is permitted by the 1992 Constitution to do so.

However, given the unpardonable economic meltdown under his watch (moved economic growth of 14% to 3.4% and single-digit inflation to 15.4%), Ex-President Mahama should do the right thing by eating humble pie and apologize to the good people of Ghana for wilfully messing up the economy in the absence of the deadly coronavirus and Russia/Ukraine intractable conflict.

Ex-President Mahama should show a little remorse and beg to discern Ghanaians for forgiveness for needlessly raising Ghana’s debt from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to an incredible GH122.4 billion by December 2016 in the absence of the pernicious coronavirus or Russia/Ukraine war.

Dearest reader, if former President Mahama believes that he owes no one an apology for woefully dragging the 14% economic growth in 2011 to a disappointing 3.4% by December 2016, then what right does he have to come and stand in front of the good people of Ghana to solicit for their votes in 2024?

The good people of Ghana cannot so soon forget and forgive former President Mahama for the business crippling dumsor in the last five years of the erstwhile NDC administration.

The fact remains that in the gloomy days of dumsor under the Mahama administration, we witnessed the plangent buzzing of generators all over the country. Most businesses folded up amid massive unemployment.

In those days, self-employers like hairdressers, ice kenkey sellers, and butchers, among others, were the worst affected.

The revoltingly annoying and costly buzzing of generators across the length and breadth of the country, unfortunately, went on for well over five years to the utter dismay of the good people of Ghana.

Considering the negative effects of dumsor on Ghanaians, it would only take a disputatious character to suggest that discerning Ghanaians have soon forgotten and forgiven Mahama for wilfully collapsing their businesses through dumsor.

Given the circumstances, we can understand how and why some concerned Ghanaians, including some supporters within the NDC, have been expressing their arousing disgust over former President Mahama’s desperation to return to the presidency after being voted against massively in 2016 and 2020 due to his abysmal performance.

Former President Mahama should stop taking Ghanaians for granted and ask for forgiveness for terribly collapsing the Agricultural sector by reducing the growth from 7.4% in 2012 to a miserable 2.5% in December 2016.

If former President Mahama really wants to lead the country again, he should render an unqualified apology to the good people of Ghana for shrinking Ghana’s GDP from GH47 billion in 2011 to GH40 billion by December 2016 in the absence of the unspeakable coronavirus or Russia/Ukraine impasse.

Who says that discerning Ghanaians have forgotten and forgiven former President Mahama for recklessly giving out large portions of Ghana’s scarce resources to parasitic creatures?

Indeed, former President Mahama should, as a matter of necessity, apologize to discerning Ghanaians for unjustifiably giving 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.

So Ex-President Mahama thinks he does not owe the good people of Ghana any apology for egregiously giving away 58% of Ghana’s bauxite to his sibling Ibrahim Mahama and his partners on 29th December 2016, just a little over one week before exiting power?

Former President Mahama should do the honest thing and apologise on behalf of his brother Ibrahim Mahama for allegedly evading import taxes to the tune of GH12 million during his tenure in office.

What is more, former President Mahama should acknowledge the concerns of Ghanaians over the purported GH800 million dubious judgment debt payments, including the GH51.2 million to Woyome, $30 million to Waterville, and $375,000 to Isofoton which resulted in the drastic reduction of capital expenditure, and as a consequence, most contractors were not paid by the erstwhile NDC administration.

Is former President Mahama not concerned about the wilful misappropriation of $175 million loan facility secured in 2012 which was meant to provide seven district hospitals but the NDC hierarchy misapplied on the blind side of Ghanaians?

To be quite honest, some of us would be extremely surprised if Ex-President Mahama failed to beg Ghanaians for forgiveness before the 2024 general elections for surreptitiously diverting $6 million of a government loan facility of $175 million meant to provide seven district hospitals into researching the then governing NDC party’s chances of winning the 2016 general elections.

Well, former President Mahama should not think that Ghanaians still suffer from chronic memory loss and therefore cannot recollect the over GH200 million SADA funds invested in trees that were reported to have burnt down, and the guinea fowls that miraculously flew to the nearby Burkina Faso without a trace.

Even though a competent court of jurisdiction has since convicted and sentenced four former NDC officials over the embezzled GYEEDA and NCA funds meant to provide suitable employment for the youth of Ghana, former President Mahama must apologize to Ghanaians for superintending over such a mess.

Last but not least, former President Mahama definitely owes discerning Ghanaians an unconditional apology over the scandalous Bus Branding, the Brazil World Cup, and SUBA, amongst others.

From the look of things, unless former President Mahama decides to render an unqualified apology, the good people of Ghana will continue to vent their arousing disgust over his calamitous errors in judgment which culminated in harsh socio-economic standards of living.