I was reluctant to go into politics – Mahama

President Mahama has publicly opened up on his unwillingness to enter into politics during the earlier stage of his life.

Addressing a congregation at the Cedar Mountain Chapel of Assemblies of God, East Legon, Accra on Sunday, the President explained that his reluctance stemmed from the experiences that his late father, Mr Emmanuel Adama Mahama went through in politics.

Following the overthrow of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, his father who was then a Minister under Dr Nkrumah’s regime was arrested and locked up for two years.

President Mahama recalled that his father was so traumatised after what he experienced and never wanted to have anything to do with politics and so he went into business and became a very successful commercial rice farmer in the north.

“And so because of the narrations that he had given about the trauma he suffered in prison and the setbacks he suffered as a result of his politics, my mind was, I will not be a politician. But God said, who are you to decide? I will do with you what I want. And the rest is history.”

The President said God was behind his political career path; saying “God has kept pushing me in the direction that he wants me to go. At every point, I have been reluctant to follow that trajectory. For instance, politics, I was reluctant to go into politics.”

President Mahama recounted that when he was young, he was so unsure of what he wanted to do in life.

He said while other people might want to be Presidents, lawyers and doctors, he wanted to do the ordinary things.

“I mean, if you ask me what do you want to be in future, I didn’t say I want to be a doctor or a lawyer. At one time I wanted to be a fireman. Because I like their uniform and the red fire trucks they used to drive,” he said.

“Then another time I wanted to be a State Transport Company driver. Because you sit in the car from Tamale to Accra, the way he’s driving it, it looks nice.”

The President attended Sunday worship at the Cedar Mountain Chapel of Assemblies of God, East Legon, Accra, where he was received by Reverend Stephen Wengam, General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana.

Reverend Wengam praised President Mahama and his wife Lordina for their encouragement and support while he was on a Divine mission to build the Cedar Mountain Chapel.

He said the Assemblies of God community both in Ghana and abroad took pride in having four Presidents including President Mahama whom he described as the church’s “First Fruit President”.

Rev Wengam led a team of Pastors to pray for the President.