Mahama uses a very subtle way (by even striving) to prove his legitimacy.

This memoir is
politically inclined. The title “My First Coup d’Etat” is no less political than the content of the
book. This, therefore, raises several questions as to what were Mahama’s real intentions by
putting these stories together. Did he intend to display Ghana’s political history as he knew it?
Not really because the book is essentially a memoir. Still, did he intend to tell his own story?
It appears he did. But does his approach not look like some kind of justification for the life he
has lived? I think indeed that this memoir is an attempt to right so many wrongs that
“unfortunate” events have associated Mahama’s life with. What he does is to go through some
kind of refinement of his father’s life in order to legitimise his own story and mostly, his
ambitions for Ghana.

To put it simply, he appears as if to say: Do you know my father? Of course you don’t know
him much, after all. This is what happened to him: (i) his true story was not told at all and (ii)
the “little” that was said about him or the way he was portrayed to Ghanaians was biased. So,
let me do it for you. My father was not that person people thought he was. True, he was rich,
but that did not make him a bad person, he should not be in the wrong side of history. He
was…he was…he was…he was…(good things) and just like any of us, he was a man with his
own shortcomings (for instance, he did not go to church).

And you know what? All my life long, I have aspired to be like my father. I am not who you
think I am. Of course, I grew up in a “very” rich family but still, I gained and have maintained
good moral values. I used that wealth as a strength to forge my personality and help my
fellow countrymen in need. It made me who I am truly: not a politician (wicked, corrupt,
selfish, immoral, etc.) but a leader (generous, honest, courageous, wise, etc.)

My eventful life along with the experience I gained from it, just like my memoir shows it,
made me a person who has visions for Ghana. I am not coming from “nowhere” and I know
for sure that “Ghana Must Go” (title of a chapter) and I know where to lead it to. Even more
subtly: I am the right person for you.

To me, this book was definitely part of Mahama’s electoral schedule: My First Coup d’Etat
looks very much like a campaign runner for Mahama, one that cannot be reduced to silence
and one that sustainably refines his (political) image.