The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) Sulemana Braimah has said he is surprised that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is shocked by the attacks on his government by New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer aspirants.
He told the president that the aspirants are attacking the government because there is no good records to defend.
“I hear Mr. President is surprised that persons campaigning to lead the NPP are attacking the record of their own government. Well, I am surprised the President is surprised. Even the Vice President has had to say he has his own vision. There is no good record to defend,” he tweeted.
I hear Mr. President is surprised that persons campaigning to lead the NPP are attacking the record of their own government. Well, I am surprised the President is surprised. Even the Vice President has had to say he has his own vision. There is no good record to defend.
— Sulemana Braimah (@sulemana) August 8, 2023
President Akufo-Addo had raised concerns against the conduct of some of the presidential aspirants of the NPP who were throwing jabs at each and even attacking the government of the day.
It is recalled that an aspirant Mr Kennedy Agyapong fired the government for the poor management of the local currency.
The Assin Central lawmaker stated that in March 2022, he had $40 million in Cedi equivalent, but by August of that same year, the value had dropped to $16 million because of the depreciation of the Cedi.
Although Mr Agyapong did not mention any name, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who is also the head of the economic management team and an aspiring flagbearer of the NPP is usually blamed for the poor performance of the Cedi against the major trading ones, especially the Dollar.
But President Akufo-Addo, while interacting with communicators of the NPP in Accra on Wednesday, August 2, said “With the start of the final leg of internal contests of the NPP, President Akufo-Addo noted that some actions by a few members of the party are making the front pages for the wrong reasons.
“We are expending some of our energies hurling invectives at each other, instead of at our opponents, and, in the process, taking digs at our own Government. It has been an anxious time for all who love our party, and who see us as the party that can bring progress and prosperity to our nation.”
President Akufo-Addo continued, “It is for this reason that, as President of the Republic and de-facto leader of the Party, I want to ensure that certain actions of yesteryear, which contributed to our loss in 2008, are not repeated. We cannot afford an internal campaign based on ethnic or religious considerations.”
Describing the NPP as “the Party of Ghana’s unity”, the President rejected forcefully the assertions “being made by a few in our party who, because of internal party politicking, are accusing my government of allegedly “intimidating” and “coercing” party faithful to throw their support behind one of the presidential aspirants, that is the Vice President. It is a false and malicious narrative.”
He told the Communicators of the Party that he beat my chest and say, without any fear of contradiction, that there is no one in the Party who can say that he, President Akufo-Addo, has asked him or her to support this or that aspirant.
“I have not set out to dismiss any MMDCE or political appointee from office for supporting any particular aspirant; no Minister or Deputy Minister has lost their job or been threatened for openly campaigning for their preferred presidential aspirant; neither has any caveat emanated from Jubilee House to the Party across the length and breadth of the country demanding that Candidate A be supported over Candidate B. I, better than anyone in the Party, know that this is not the way to go,” he stated.