We listened with utter incredulity, albeit with intense interest, to the prayers by a group of Men of God, who bizarrely insist that God had already ordained Mahama to lead Ghana in 2025.

To be quite honest, some of us were taken aback listening to Rev. Owusu Bempah, in particular, prophesying that Mahama is predestined to win the 7th December 2024 general elections.

If you may recall, my dear reader, on 31st December 2016, the same Rev. Owusu Bempah prophesied that the ‘NDC will stay in opposition for sixteen years’ (see: ‘Owusu Bempah’s seventeen prophecies for 2017’ - ghanaweb.com, 01/01/2017).

If you would also remember, prior to the 2020 general elections, a few video clips were making rounds, showing some ‘Men of God’ prophesying somewhat convivially that Akufo-Addo was going to be a one-term president because God had already chosen Mahama to lead Ghana to the promised land.

Immediately after the 2020 general elections, the Men of God were ‘crucified’ for delivering a false ‘message from God’ on the general elections.

The supposed God’s messages on the general elections in the form of prophecies did not come to pass.

Ironically, Akufo-Addo, whom the ‘Messengers of God’ claimed to have been rejected by God, received a massive endorsement.

Strangely, prior to the 2024 general elections, the Men of God have come back with conflicting election results from God.

While some Men of God are gleefully prophesying Mahama’s victory, others maintain that God has already chosen Bawumia to lead the nation.

The crucial question discerning Ghanaians are asking then is: how can God, the all-knowing, send you conflicting messages on the election results?

It is written, “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die” (Deuteronomy 18:20).

Jeremiah 14:14: “Then the LORD said unto me, the prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” And if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? (Deuteronomy 18:21).

When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follows not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:22).

My dear reader, I may not be a pastor, a soothsayer, a prophet, or a black magician, and yet I was the first person to predict through a couple of articles that NDC will stay in opposition for at least sixteen years (see: ‘Why Dr. Bawumia could keep NDC in opposition for sixteen years - part I & II; ghanaweb.com/modernghana.com, 16/12/2016).

Indeed, I’m ‘not a Man of God’. My earlier prediction was not from God. I am no Man of God; I am only an obdurate sinner who God would not send to deliver a message to His children, while the likes of Rev. Owusu Bempah and ‘Angel Obinim’ are still around.

I based my prediction on Ghanaians' overwhelming acceptance of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration and a retrospective analysis of the successive NDC governments' performances in the area of socio-economic standards of living.

Truth be told, the NDC’s abysmal performances over the years are so conspicuous that one does not necessarily require God’s prophecy before realising that the party will struggle to come back to power anytime soon.

Obviously, the outcome of the 2016 general elections gave credence to the fact that Ghanaians have overcome their memory loss after all, contrary to former President Mahama’s earlier pronouncement about Ghanaians' chronic amnesia.

Yes, on 7th December 2016, Ghanaians remembered the NDC apparatchiks' unpardonable incompetence and the gargantuan sleazes and corruption.

Ghanaians stencilled on their mental sheets:

• The dubious Embraer 190 aircraft deal which prompted former President Mills to set up a committee to investigate the then Vice President Mahama.

• The US$250 million bill we incurred on the unsuccessful STS housing deal which was spearheaded by the then Vice President John Dramani Mahama.

• The bizarre GH¢800 million judgement debt payments.

• The undeserving GH¢51.2 million judgement debt payment (create, loot and share) to Woyome.

• The weird US$30 million judgement debt payment to Waterville, which the Supreme Court of Ghana ruled as unconstitutional and ordered the NDC government to retrieve, but to no avail.

• The wrongful US$25 million judgement debt payment to ISOFOTON, which the NDC government has failed to retrieve despite the Supreme Court’s order.

• The scandal (create, loot and share) at the National Service Secretariat which cost Ghana millions of Ghana Cedis.

• The SADA scandal which deprived the people of the Northern Region of millions of Cedis meant for development.

• The SUBA scandal which cost Ghana millions of Cedis meant for the improvement of the economy.

• The GYEEDA corruption scandal which deprived the youth of Ghana millions of Cedis meant for the creation of jobs.

• The amount of US$250 million from the Eurobond which was meant for infrastructural development was lodged surreptitiously in an unauthorised bank account.

• Inflated costs of infrastructural projects (the former Minister for Local Government, Collins Dauda, raised concerns).

Let us face it, former President Mahama and his NDC apparatchiks went haywire in their desperation to cling on to power during the 2012 general elections.

They broke all conventions. Many government departments spent over and above their allocated budgets.

Thus, many observers hold a strong view that Ghana’s economic downslide came about as a result of the unbridled sleazes and gargantuan corruption that have been associated with the NDC administrations over the years.

The general belief among Ghanaians back then was that the NDC apparatchiks bought votes with the taxpayers' money.

Apparently, they retained power following the controversial election on 7th December 2012.

The previously single-digit inflation and budget deficit doubled astronomically. The GH9.5 billion debt which former President Kufuor and his NPP government left in 2009 rocketed astronomically to GH122.4 billion in the absence of the universally diffused coronavirus and Ukraine/Russia conflict.

In the days of the irritating dumsor under the Mahama administration, we witnessed the endless buzzing of generators all over the country. Most businesses folded up amid massive unemployment.

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

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

As a matter of fact, the worst economic conditions, coupled with the business-crippling dumsor, brought untold hardships to the good people of Ghana and the vast majority of Ghanaians would not wish to revisit the dark days.