Nana Addo turns down IMANI’s Presidential Debate; Says he’ll defeat Mahama on the ground
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
President of the Republic of Ghana His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has swiftly turned down IMANI’s Presidential Debate invitation with former president John Dramani Mahama on infrastructure development of the two major political parties thus; opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Meanwhile, John Dramani Mahama has since endorsed IMANI Presidential Debate and has proposed to debate the sitting president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on any platform and at any time. He believes that not only will the presidential debate enhance our democracy, but also give voters a better opportunity to make informed decisions in the December 2020 general elections and anything short of this, will defeat the intended purpose.
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According to some Ghanaians including a Senior Associate Professor of Political Science Department at the University of Ghana (UG) Professor Yaw Ransford Gyampo, it does appear sitting Presidents fear to debate opposition presidential candidates ahead of general elections.
The claims of a section of Ghanaians to many sound logical as the sitting president of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo continuously reject to debate the Leader and Flagbearer of the largest opposition political party Mr. John Dramani Mahama. According to a few, it is a tacit admission of non-performance by those who govern the country against opposition parties.
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The question still remain unanswered why opposition leaders clamor for debates when they are in opposition and develop cold feet to debates when they win power.
But, the founding President and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Centre For Policy & Education Mr. Franklin Cudjoe believes that, it is a good decision to mount an important accountability platform of debates, for presidential aspirants to account to people who seek to exercise fiduciary trust of ordinary people like they did for independent presidential candidates running for president in the December polls.
The positive agenda of IMANI Africa to create an open and common platforms for the two major political parties presidential aspirants to showcase their achievements to the good people of Ghana has been shutdown by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as he seeks for a cover to reject the controversial presidential debate in the run up to the December 2020 polls.
Meanwhile, the IMANI Africa’s Multimedia engagement with presidential aspirants of smaller political parties is still on course, with their debate scheduled to take place on October 15, 2020. It is unclear why the sitting president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declined IMANI’s Presidential Debate invitation for pre-arranged commitments meanwhile a date has not been set for the debate between him and former president John Dramani Mahama.
In a statement, Mr. Franklin Cudjoe revealed that, he had earlier received a communiqué from the office of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on 23rd September, 2020 saying, he has an equally important engagement thus; pre-arranged commitments, hence the President of the Republic will not be available to participate in a debate with former president John Dramani Mahama.
The respond issued by the Secretary to the President Nana Bediatuo Asante to IMANI Africa founding president Franklin Cudjoe turning down his invitation on the subject matter, RE: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN IMANI’S PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE FOR TWO MAJOR PARTIES reads, “With reference to your correspondence dated 15th September, 2020 bearing on the above-mentioned subject, I regret to inform you that due to pre-arranged commitments, the President of the Republic will not be available to participate in IMANI’s Presidential Debate between the two dominant political parties, New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC). Please accept the President’s best wishes.”
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President Nana Addo, having turned down IMANI’s Presidential Debate invitation, believes that, he will defeat former president John Dramani Mahama on December 7th presidential election to retain the seat.
President Akufo-Addo, on his campaign tour in the Western North Region argued that, the 2020 presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, has proven, over time, to be inconsistent, as he flip-flops on issues of national development.
Speaking at Bibiani, at the end of his 3-day tour of the Western North Region, on Saturday, 26th September 2020, President Akufo-Addo stated that it is important for the credibility of the country’s public discourse that persons in the country’s public space are seen to be consistent in their views and advocacy but John Dramani Mahama seems not to be so.
Earlier, former president John Dramani Mahama has proposed an infrastructural projects debate against president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo following the Vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s government Virtual Town Hall and Results Fair Meeting held at Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) to project the infrastructural development of the NPP government.
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The proposal came fortnight as IMANI Africa prepares the ground for presidential aspirants’ debate ahead of the December 2020 polls. But, the sitting president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo believes that, he will defeat Former president John Dramani Mahama in the forthcoming election with or without a presidential debate.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
