Attempts to criminalise govt projects by NPP fail — NDC

The National Democratic Congress has said attempts by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bastardise and criminalise government projects in order to erode public confidence in the party have failed.

“These attempts have failed  and will continue to fail,’’ the General Secretary of NDC Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, stated at a press conference Tuesday.

He was reacting to the NPP’s ‘’Real State of the Nation - a Nation in Crisis” address at the party head office at Adabraka in Accra.

The NPP on Monday criticised President John Dramani Mahama for presenting a ‘half- true’ State of the Nation Address.

But in a sharp response, Mr Asiedu Nketia said that despite the contrived cynicism and instigation of the public against government projects in order to score political points, President Mahama would continue to deliver and change lives of Ghanaians.

Prevailing peace

The General Secretary of NDC said if the NPP was disputing the performance of the NDC, the fact still remained that the country was enjoying a peaceful, stable and strong democratic dispensation which the party had been able to sustain.

Mr Asiedu Nketia said if the NPP was unable to contribute to the prevailing peace they should not do anything that would disturb it.

He accused the flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, of not being able to maintain peace in his party.

According to Mr Asiedu-Nketia, Nana Akufo-Addo will go down in history as the NPP flag bearer under whose tenure the party sank to its lowest ebb.

“Indeed we dare say that he is the worst leader that tradition has produced, having lowered considerably the standard set by the likes of K.A. Busia, Victor Owusu, Adu Boahen and J. A. Kufuor,’’ Mr Asiedu Nketia maintained.

Over-priced project costs

The NPP also accused the government of over-priced costs of projects, citing Smarty’s deal, ENI deal, and the expansion of the Ridge Hospital, among other projects.

But the NDC General Secretary debunked these claims, explaining that a corruption index report by civil society organisation, Transparency International, scored government high marks for fighting corruption.

He said President Mahama had proven he was a responsible leader by taking the blame for the energy crisis and economic hardship and solving them.

Mr Asiedu Nketia also accused the NPP of engaging in tribal politics, making reference to the supposed 76,000 Togolese on the country’s register and the siting of a university at Somanya.

Infrastructure

Mr Asiedu Nketia said the Ridge Hospital expansion project which Nana Akufo-Addo said the cost had been inflated according to a Crown Agents report could not be true.

He said the report by the Crown Agents had already been repudiated by the Ministry of Health and that report ceased to be a credible source.

He also said just as Nana Akufo-Addo was delivering his speech he was at Salaga and took the opportunity to visit the Salaga District hospital where the project was ongoing and to his astonishment the project had reached a lintel level and wondered how people could bring the reputation of fellow Ghanaians into disrepute just for political expediency.