Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Special Aide to President-elect John Dramani Mahama, has responded to Cadman Mills, a prominent member of the NDC, regarding his observations and concerns about the rise of sycophancy within the incoming Mahama administration.

In a lengthy post on X, Cadman Mills warned that early signs of sycophancy are already visible, with some individuals and institutions excessively flattering Mahama and his family in an attempt to gain favor.

Highlighting a clear example of what he perceives as sycophantic behavior, Cadman Mills specifically mentioned public calls for Mahama's son, Sharaf Mahama, to be appointed Minister of Sports, citing his personal interest in the sector, particularly in boxing.

“But a JDM-led NDC administration is not new to the Ghanaian political scene: It held office from 2013 - 2017. Ghanaians can hope that this administration will be "better" than its first incarnation (because "we are not going back!"). But it is not a foregone conclusion. But already the signs of sycophancy are starting to rear their ugly heads.

“It appears that many (people and institutions) are tripping over their feet to please the incoming president and his family, including the suggestion that his son (who has a keen interest in boxing) be made sports minister. There are others. I will identify two,” parts of his post read.

In response to his claims, Bawah Mogtari clarified that the calls for Mahama’s son to be appointed Sports Minister were made out of excitement, describing it as 'romanticism' rather than 'sycophancy'.

The legal luminary explained that such calls should not be given any importance or taken seriously, considering they were made out of mere excitement.

“Similarly, calls by some youth who are closely associated with our Brother Sharaf Mahama and many others who worked very closely together to win this election are simply out of excitement. Certainly, statements being made by a few young people should not be taken so seriously. I am sure Sharaf, like any other young person, is well able to serve our great nation at all levels. You know the President-elect well enough, and indeed your nephew Fiifi is one of Sharaf’s friends, and they are both fine young men,” she posted on X on December 29, 2024.

Bawah Mogtari reiterated incoming President Mahama’s commitment to fulfilling his mandate and restoring the country to its glorious days, emphasising that trivial issues of this nature should not be given any attention.

“Please, Sir, we are looking forward to the inauguration, and certainly HE Mr. Mahama will be focusing more on the work at hand. Certainly, he is not a man prone to sycophancy,” she concluded.

In addition to her response on the alleged sycophantic behaviors, Bawah Mogtari provided clarity on the proposed constitutional amendments, another concern raised by Mills, stressing that reforms regarding presidential term limits have nothing to do with Mahama’s presidency.

Read Bawah’s full post below:

Uncle, I don’t think you have any cause for alarm and I am sure that you in particular are a very senior party member and can certainly bring up such if for discussion.

1. We have all agreed that we need to pass the constitutional amendments as demanded by the good people of…

— Joyce Bawah Mogtari (@joyce_bawah) December 29, 2024