NPP rejects President Mahama’s debate challenge

President John Dramani has again thrown a challenge to the Flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party(NPP) Nana Akuffo Addo face him in an open debate on the true state of the nation’s economy.

Speaking on the Volta Star radio, the President said the opposition is engaging in a deliberate effort to misinform the public about the state of the economy.

He therefore asked the opposition to prove its stance by engaging him in a debate as he believes that Ghana’s economy is robust and resilient.

A one-one-one debate with the Flagbearer and his running mate of the NPP, the President said would give Ghanaians the opportunity to decide on who is really misinforming them.

“We will all have our statistics and figures and Ghanaians would be able to see who is telling the truth or not. A debate would show whether the economy is in crisis or not. Ghanaians deserve a debate and hope the NPP will rise to the occasion,” he stated.

He added that it also gives the opportunity to the public to know their candidates better and make a sound judgement on who would continue to lead them or not.

But spokesperson of Nana Akuffo Addo, Mustapha Hamid in his reaction on Accra-based Citi FM believes that Ghanaians are already aware of the conditions in the country and need not to have a debate with Nana Akuffo Addo before they are informed.

He added that, the President must write to the Flagbearer of the NPP to invite him for the debate which they would respond to accordingly, instead of saying on radio that they have declined his challenge.

He stressed that “that is how it is done in the 21st century where institutions must be run in the country properly and not by mouth.”

The Institute of Economic Affairs(IEA) he said, “is the accepted body that organizes debate in the country and came out with a timetable for Presidential debates which the President said he was not interested in so it is hypocritical that he has suddenly developed interest”.

He added that people need action and not talk and asked the President to “walk the talk, not talk and talk.”

 

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