Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Victor Smith, has delivered a blunt warning to government appointees who might be tempted to undermine President John Dramani Mahama’s authority, saying they risk losing their jobs if they stray from the president’s agenda.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face programme, on Tuesday (23 September), Mr Smith said loyalty to the president’s vision was non-negotiable. He cautioned that any official “treading on dangerous grounds” would be shown the door.
“I think they will be treading on dangerous grounds because the President is watching. Some of us will speak our minds if we hear an appointee is going wayward, the President will hear of it. I will tell you that you are taking the party down. He will remove the person,” he said.
Mr Smith described Mr Mahama as approachable and warm, but insisted that the president’s calm demeanour should not be mistaken for weakness. “I believe John Mahama, he’s laughing with people, but you won’t take him down with you. The President is focused. People see him as a calm personality, but don’t toy with him.
“Because this time around, when he finishes his term, he’s going on retirement. So if you misconduct or abuse the office he has given you, he will just appoint someone to your position, so you are going home,” he added.
The envoy stressed that the governing National Democratic Congress would not allow internal squabbles to derail its agenda, drawing a sharp contrast with what he described as the opposition New Patriotic Party’s missteps in managing dissent.
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