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The sidelining of some prominent members of the governing National Democratic Congress, who played pivotal roles in the administration of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, by President Mahama was once again brought to the fore during the NDC campaign launch in Ningo Prampram over the weekend.

President Mahama, aware of the feeling of bitterness in some of these men, assured that NDC gurus like E T Mensah, Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, would not be sidelined in his next administration if he wins the December 7 election.

E T Mensah, Cletus Avoka and Alban Bagbin, who served in various ministerial positions in the Mills government, were dropped immediately President Mahama fully took charge after the 2012 elections, and given the short-lived position of “The Three Wise Men” in charge of Government Priority Projects, just to give them a sense of belonging in the government.

Through the alleged support of President Mahama, the woes Mr Mensah were deepened when he lost the NDC’s 2016 parliamentary primaries to Sam George, a presidential staffer at the Flagstaff House.

But the President is now urging E T Mensah not to despair because he will have a place in his next government if he wins the upcoming elections.

“Sometimes when God closes one door, don’t stand in front of that door and weep; look around to see he has opened another door for you. Don’t stand there and be weeping and say ‘God, why have you closed this door to me’. My brother ET Mensah is a very important member of our party and we all appreciate him very much; but the time comes when you have to move on and you will move on to better things. In my administration, ET will not struggle to do something in my administration. And so I want himself and all the people who support him, the chiefs, parliamentary candidates and everybody to become one strong Ningo-Prampram constituency,” Mr Mahama said.

The president’s assurance may come to many as a desperate attempt to elicit the support of the sidelined Mills’ loyalists as he faces imminent defeat in the upcoming election.

Considered as kingpins of the NDC, the likes of Kojo Tsikata, Cletus Avoka, Nunu Mensah and the Ahwoi brothers who were very instrumental in the electoral victory of the late President Mills have all being sidelined by President Mahama.

What has made the situation very worrying is that the President now takes decisions mainly with his family members and friends, with little regard even for the leadership of the NDC.

The party’s National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, and the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, are said to be very unhappy about the president’s conduct, even though they are pretending all is well.

Their major fear is that if President Mahama has decided not to listen to them at this time that he is seeking re-election, then the situation could be worse if he manages to secure another term of office.

Many people in the party have expressed concerns about the manner in which people like the Ahwoi brothers and E T Mensah who have toiled to sustain the NDC over the years could be pushed to the background.