In a heartfelt revelation at the Cedar Mountain Chapel of Assemblies of God in East Legon, President John Mahama shared how divine guidance and childhood dreams collided to steer him toward a political career he once vowed to avoid.
Speaking to a rapt congregation on Sunday, Mahama traced his journey from the trauma of his father’s imprisonment under Ghana’s post-Nkrumah regime to the presidency—a path he called “God’s stubborn plan.”
“My father never wanted me near politics,” Mahama confessed, recounting the ordeal of his late father, Emmanuel Adama Mahama, a minister in Kwame Nkrumah’s government who was jailed for two years after the 1966 coup. “He came home a broken man, swapping politics for rice farming in the North. His stories of prison made me swear I’d never enter that world. But God,” he paused, smiling, “had other ideas.”
The president described his younger self as a boy with modest ambitions: a fascination with firemen’s scarlet trucks and the allure of driving State Transport Company buses from Tamale to Accra. “While others dreamed of becoming doctors, I just wanted to wear a uniform or behind a steering wheel,” he chuckled. “Politics? Never crossed my mind.”
Yet Mahama’s narrative took a spiritual turn as he credited his unlikely rise to a higher calling. “At every crossroads, God pushed me here—kicking and doubting,” he said. His reluctance, he explained, melted as he felt compelled to address the injustices he witnessed, a resolve hardened by his father’s silenced voice.
Reverend Stephen Wengam, General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana, hailed Mahama as the church’s “First Fruit President,” noting that four heads of state globally trace their roots to the denomination. “His journey reminds us that purpose often finds us unwilling,” Wengam said, leading prayers for the president and his wife, Lordina, whom he praised for their unwavering support during the chapel’s construction.
The service, punctuated by hymns and amens, resonated with congregants like Grace Mensah, a teacher. “Hearing his humility—how he didn’t chase power but accepted it—it’s inspiring,” she said. “It makes you believe in destiny.”
Mahama’s reflection, blending vulnerability and faith, offered a rare glimpse into the man behind the title. From a traumatized family to the pinnacle of power, his story underscores a recurring theme in Ghanaian politics: that history’s ghosts often shape its future. As Wengam prayed for wisdom, one line lingered: “God writes our stories in ink far bolder than our fears.”
