Since that historic night when Nkrumah proclaimed the country’s liberty from the British with that famous speech, the sixth day of the third month of every year has always been greeted with a special event.
The Black Star Square, formerly Independence Square, has since the birth of the country hosted the event until the government of President Akufo-Addo assumed office and decided to rotate it.
The first beneficiary of the government’s rotation policy was the Northern Regional capital of Tamale which interestingly is the birthplace of the NPP’s first-ever Vice President, Aliu Mahama.
The staging of the 62nd Independence Day celebrations coincided with the renaming of the Tamale Stadium to the Aliu Mahama Stadium amid protest from some indigenes who argued then that Abedi Ayew Pele, another son of the land had contributed more to the sport than the politician.
Kumasi, the city widely known as the stronghold of the ruling party was handpicked by the President as the host of the 63rd edition and on Friday the crème de-la crème of the country’s political and religious institutions stormed ‘Oseikrom' to celebrate Ghana’s birthday.
However, conspicuously missing from this list of highly respected Ghanaians were two former presidents.
Ghana’s longest-serving president, Jerry John Rawlings, and Akufo-Addo’s immediate predecessor, John Mahama, were absent.
However, it is the absence of John Mahama that courted most comments on social media with various posts of ridicule and condemnation.
His designated seat which had his name boldly written on it and placed alongside that of former President Kufuor was shared a multiple times with all kinds of comments that cast a slur upon Mahama’s person and his bid for a second chance.
For some Ghanaians, as indicated in the tweets and Facebook posts below, the ex-president demonstrated grave disrespect and a lack patriotism by not honouring the state function and that the fear of being booed and jeered by the NPP-dominated crowd forced him to "watch the event from home”.
Some mentioned that it was another instance of the former president failing to act like a state man.
Some even went as far as insinuating that the recent Airbus Scandal which had accusing fingers being pointed at him is the reason for his no-show.
One of his aides, Stan Dogbe, suspected a set up as he struggled to understand why an event in the heart of NPP’s stronghold will have its headlines dominated by the absence of someone whom the party defeated overwhelmingly in 2016. He alleged that the presence of his boss would have angered the president.
“It is interesting how Brand #JohnMahama has completely overshadowed the 63rd Independence message of the President to the people of Ghana. Or there was no message, judging from the zeal with which social media hounds of the government and some news outlets chose to focus on the publication of a supposed empty seat of the former president at the Kumasi event.
“Some government workers including a media officer at the Presidency, Charles Nii Teiko Tagoe, and supporters of the ruling party have tagged me in their posts of the supposed empty chair. Truly, I am still trying to understand what their concern or interests are, because their boss, Nana Akufo-Addo, does not like the idea of #JohnMahama’s presence at events and Programmes he’s also at” Stan Dogbe wrote on Facebook.
It looked like Mahama was taking the fall until the NDC decided to open up on discussions in the lead up to the day.
According to the party, the office of the former president had informed State Protocol of his inability to attend the event.
The NDC through its Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer questioned why the State Protocol would reserve a seat for John Mahama and not do same for Rawlings who just like Mahama had pre-informed them about his absence.
"The former President John Dramani Mahama indicated to the State Protocol of the Independence Day celebration of his unavailability to attend the event."
“And so we were all surprised when they labelled a chair in his name and captured it when the State knew he was not going to be there,” Mr Genfi stated.
He added: “That’s very unfortunate that the state protocol of our nation will, maybe in connivance with some party officials, will do something to try to tarnish the image of the former president”.
“Former President Rawlings was not there; I didn’t see his empty chair labelled and a picture taken… I’m telling you on authority that the state knew former president Mahama was never going to be at the event. So why do you provide a seat for him, put a tag [of] his name on it and then take a picture of it and start to troll him on social media? It is very, very unfortunate,” Mr Genfi protested.
Meanwhile, it appears the former president, Mahama, was at the home of the slain assemblyman at Sogakope in the Volta Region to console the family of Marcus Mawutor Adzahli.
President Mahama told them days before that he wasn’t available for the independence march yet they still took a chair there for propaganda. That’s what happens when you have an egoistic, insecure tyrant for President. They will do anything to massage his ego.
— Che Esq.???????????????????????? (@CheEsquire) March 7, 2020
so Mahama actually communicated his absence to Akufo-Addo govt and also sent a delegation to Independence ceremony? this makes the case of the empty chair even worse. they didn't acknowledge Mahama's representatives but decided to showcase an empty chair labeled with his name.
In a Facebook post, Mahama shared photos of the visit with a delegation from the NDC fraternity. They signed the book of condolence and interacted with members of the family.
The assembly member for the Sogakope South Electoral Area in the Volta Region was shot and killed by unknown assailants after they raided his house about a week ago.
Former President John Mahama and President Akufo-Addo
