Mahama urges Akufo-Addo to refrain from propaganda

Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to show leadership and refrain from what he described as “excessive propaganda.”

He said when President Akufo-Addo was in opposition, he appealed to Ghanaians to give him the opportunity to serve “all Ghanaians” but 10 months after taking power, the President was reneging on those promises.

The Former President was addressing party supporters at “London Bridge” in Cape Coast after a Unity March organised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in some streets of the metropolis on Sunday.

The march, the third in the series, attracted party heavy-weights such as Mr Julius Debrah, Dr Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Mr Kweku Ricketts-Hagan, Professor Kwamina Ahwoi, Mr Samuel Atta Mills and Nana Oye Lithur.

The unity walk campaign, which is an initiative of Mr Kojo Bonsu, a former Kumasi Mayor, which the regional party leadership has adopted, forms part of the strategies by the party to reorganise grass roots support to position the NDC as the obvious political party going into the 2020 general election.

Former President Mahama said President Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) used propaganda to eliminate him from power but were now faced with the reality of high electricity tariff, water, fuel prices, invincible forces, among others.

He said it was normal for any government to blame its predecessor for some of its economic failures, but that became problematic when the government in power tended to blame everything on the previous government.

Discriminatory speech

Commenting on the discriminatory speech by Ghana’s High Commissioner to South Africa, Mr George Ayisi-Boateng, former President Mahama condemned the speech, saying: “If that folly was committed under my regime, NPP would have tagged Mr Ayisi-Boateng as ‘Mahama boy.’”

Mr Mahama alleged that the apology rendered by the high commissioner was insincere and a handiwork of the Flagstaff House, saying: “The apology, which is an apology by itself, was drafted by the Flagstaff House for Mr Ayisi-Boateng.”

Ghana Post GPS

He described the recent Ghana Post GPS launched by the government to create a formal economy through the use of mechanism such as the digital addressing system and the national identification system, as ‘419’ and corruption and added that the product had already been in the system.

NDC internal politics

Mr Mahama said he had decided not to make his intention about the flagbearship for the 2020 election known now, because, according to him, that would disrupt the work of the committee set up to examine why the NDC lost the 2016 election.

“I have decided not to pronounce on whether to run or not run. Because that would disrupt the work of the committee we set up to look into why we lost the 2016 election,” he said.

On the declaration of interest by some NDC top members of the party, he said he had no problem with any of his colleagues who had expressed interest in the slot and added that “they all belong to the NDC”.

“Let us not attack anyone because whoever is elected to lead us to victory in 2020 will need the support of each and every one of us,” he said.

“Spio was my boss and later became my minister, Joshua was my colleague in Parliament and later became the Vice- Chancellor of UPSA, Sylvester was the NHIS boss and later a Presidential Staffer… It is not now that they want to contest that I will have a problem with them. Atubiga is even my favourite presidential candidate,” he said.

He said the unity walk might not necessarily resolve all the teething problems confronting the party at a go and added that “it is an advocacy.”

Central swing

Mr Mahama called on the Central Regional Executive of the NDC to resolve their differences and build a formidable party for the 2020 election, stressing that “there is work ahead of us.”

He appealed to party supporters to take advantage of the forthcoming elections in the branches, constituencies, regional and national to register.

He also used the occasion to commend supporters in the region for their massive outpour to participate in the march, saying; “Your support this morning shows NDC is still strong and kicking.”