Nana Akomea, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former Chief Executive of the State Transport Corporation (STC), has levelled a sharp accusation of double standards against President John Dramani Mahama over the issue of honorary doctorate degrees.
Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo morning show, hosted by Kwami Sefa Kayi on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, Akomea questioned how President Mahama could openly embrace and celebrate multiple honorary doctorates when he and the NDC had previously lambasted former President Nana Akufo-Addo for allegedly doing the same during his time in office.
The criticism comes on the back of two high-profile honorary degree conferrals on President Mahama. On March 13, 2026, he received an Honorary Doctor of Public Administration from South Korea’s Yonsei University. A second honorary doctorate from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, USA, is scheduled for March 26, 2026, in recognition of his leadership and advocacy for reparative justice and democratic governance.
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Akomea’s central argument is one of glaring inconsistency. The NDC had accused Akufo-Addo of exploiting his position as a sitting president to solicit or influence honorary degrees from various institutions — conduct they labelled self-serving and unbecoming of a head of state. With Mahama now in office and collecting similar international honours, Akomea contends that the NDC is guilty of the very behaviour it once condemned, effectively speaking from both sides of its mouth.
The broadside is emblematic of the entrenched tit-for-tat that defines political discourse between Ghana’s two dominant parties. The NPP and NDC routinely trade accusations of hypocrisy on a wide range of issues — from governance style and political appointments to personal conduct and symbolic matters such as titles and honours.
Honorary doctorates, widely regarded in Ghanaian political circles as prestige symbols, frequently become flashpoints, with each side quick to brand the other’s recipients as engaged in “doctorate shopping” the moment it suits their narrative.