Anti-corruption campaigner and IMANI Ghana affiliate Kay Cudjoe has cautioned President John Mahama against what he describes as the rising threat of complacency within the administration, warning that it could undermine the government’s mandate.
In a letter addressed to the President sighted by MyNewsGh, Cudjoe stated that “complacency is a virus,” adding that it “spreads quickly” and destroys national expectations when left unchecked. He argued that the greatest risk to the new administration “does not lie in your leadership but in the ecosystem around it.”
According to him, history shows that strong leaders can still fail when surrounded by undisciplined actors. “A President may carry vision, yet a careless team can bury it before it takes root,” he wrote. He added that an inner circle “swollen with ego can suffocate sincerity before it ever reaches the people.”
Cudjoe stressed that the government’s supermajority in Parliament must not be misconstrued as political comfort. “Do not mistake that supermajority for a blank cheque,” he cautioned, insisting that Ghanaians expect corrective leadership, not partisan exuberance.
He criticised what he described as ego-driven behaviour among some figures around the President, saying some individuals have “mistaken proximity for relevance” and “confused access with authority.” Such tendencies, he argued, weaken the President’s agenda and distort public expectations.
Cudjoe urged the President to prioritise discipline, humility and competence in his immediate governing space. “Your mandate is not a trophy. It is a responsibility,” he said, warning that complacency could quickly erode public goodwill.
He concluded by urging the President to remain firm and selective in the people he empowers. “Choose wisely. Lead firmly. And protect the trust Ghanaians have given you,” he wrote.
