Kojo Yankson, co-host of the Joy Super Morning Show, has cautioned against public complacency in holding President John Dramani Mahama accountable, warning that post-election excitement must not weaken democratic scrutiny.

Speaking on JoyNews’ “2025 in Review, Yankson said the optimism that greeted President Mahama’s inauguration, following the 2024 general elections, may have led to a softer approach to criticism from the public and commentators alike.

“For me, John Mahama’s first year started with all the pomp and promise of that inauguration ceremony because we had been traumatised, and anything would have been better than what we had been through. So, we were excited,” he said.

According to Yankson, that collective relief and excitement translated into widespread support for the new administration, but also created a risk of lowered expectations and reduced accountability.

“We gave him all the support because we expect a lot from him. But it also meant that we have been, in my view, a little bit lax in criticising President Mahama,” he noted.

He argued that while many Ghanaians are keen to justify the overwhelming mandate given to Mahama in the December 2024 polls, this should not prevent citizens and the media from demanding higher standards of governance.

“We don’t want to look back at the choice we made overwhelmingly in the 2024 election and say we made a bad choice,” Yankson said, adding that awareness of the country’s previous governance challenges should not excuse underperformance.

Yankson stressed that democratic accountability requires more than comparing one administration to another, warning against celebrating marginal improvements simply because the past was worse.

“We must hold leaders to a standard. We shouldn’t say that as long as he got 10 out of 100 and the last guy got two out of 100, we’re happy,” he said.