It appears the survival and fortunes of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 general election hang on a supposed presidential debate between the party’s flagbearer John Dramani Mahama and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as it is still battling for a proposal that has been rejected.
Some officials of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have rubbished the NDC’s call for the debate between the two main contenders ahead of the December 7 polls, describing as a useless venture that will not add anything to the fortunes of the governing party.
However, the leading opposition party is still fighting tooth and nail to have the debate on government’s infrastructural achievements.
National Communication Officer of the NDC Sammy Gyamfi renewed the call at a news conference in Accra on Monday as part of the party’s Weekly briefing.
According to the party, if President Akufo-Addo and NPP believe and trust in their superior achievements in the infrastructure sector, it should not be difficult to defend and prove same in a debate.
He used videos and still images, which he claimed are pieces of evidence to buttress his argument that recent presentation by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia that the NPP government has done better in infrastructure delivery is a sham.
According to him, the Vice President’s Townhall presentation and the delivery tracker launched by the government as evidence of its infrastructural achievements is laden with falsehoods, ghost projects, ‘stolen’ projects and mediocre accomplishments that will not even pass for the achievements of a rural Assemblyman let alone a government that has had access to an unprecedented resource envelope of GH¢370 billion.
He argued that if the NPP truly believes in its achievements, members of the governing party should encourage their flagbearer to take up the challenge and debate John Mahama on their respective records of delivery at a place, time, and with moderators and timekeepers of his choice.
“We entreat the media and anybody who is interested in the truth, to compare and contrast the so-called achievements of this government outlined by Dr Bawumia and their delivery tracker, which in most cases are either ghost, stolen or mediocre projects, to the tangible achievements of the Mahama administration contained in the famous green book,” he stated.
NDC’s accountability
Sammy Gyamfi claimed the NDC has always been at the forefront of accounting to Ghanaians for their trust anytime it is in government.
“As torchbearers of probity and accountability, the NDC acknowledges the duty of every government to account to the people for their mandate and stewardship.
“The scarcity of investment in infrastructure by President Akufo-Addo across board is amply reflected in the decline of Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) to GDP ratio from 4.5% in 2016 to a paltry 1.5% in 2019.
“Akufo Addo’s shambolic performance in office is the reason why he is unwilling to debate President John Dramani Mahama on their respective records in office and on issues that matter to the Ghanaian people,” he added.
Turning on the NPP 2020 manifesto launch, Sammy Gyamfi argued that President Akufo-Addo should have preceded the event with an apology to Ghanaians in view of the fact that just 14% of the 631 manifesto promises have been delivered.
He urged Ghanaians to dismiss what he said is a ‘491 NPP manifesto’ because the President, his Vice, and the entire NPP establishment cannot be trusted to deliver on their promises.
He stressed that Ghana is at a crossroads and urgently requires honest, visionary, competent, and selfless leadership that invests in developmental projects and creates equal opportunities for all and not a select few and that person is John Dramani Mahama, the nation builder.
