I Almost Quit Politics in 2008 - Mahama

By James Ayitey

Former President John Mahama has revealed he almost quit politics to go into private business in 2008.

He said he had to stay in public service because the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by the late president Mills won the presidential elections that year.

Mr Mahama made the revelation when he spoke at the first official reading of his first book 'My first Coup D'etat' at the University of Ghana Tuesday.

There has been a rancorous debate within the opposition NDC which he led into the 2016 elections over his political future.

While Mr Mahama's immediate family has insisted that he calls time on local politics, some leaders of the party including the National Organiser Kofi Adams, Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye have dismissed the idea.

They argue that Ghana's first one-term President is the NDC's best bet for Election 2020.

Mr Mahama's younger brother, Ibrahim Mahama, has said the former President's family had been advising him not to contest the NDC primary to select a candidate for 2020, adding, "He (former President Mahama) agreed with us."

"John has given his all in politics to the NDC and Ghana and we think it is just fair that we allow him to rest. We were very supportive and instrumental in convincing him to partner the late Prof. J. E.A. Mills.

"And when the time came for him to contest for president, we supported him and advised him to go for it... Now we have advised him not to make a comeback in 2020," he said.

When Joy News' Latif Iddrisu asked the former President if he has abandoned politics to concentrate on writing books, he declined to comment about his future political ambition.

The former president, however, hinted that he is working on a second book but wouldn't tell when it would be completed.

'My First Coup d'etat', the former President revealed has also been published in Portuguese.

The book reading by Mr Mahama thrilled the hundreds of students, former ministers as well as members of the general public who were in attendance.

A retired police officer also showed up at the reading session with his own book, 'Fighting Corruption'.

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