The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says recent utterances by President John Mahama, coupled with his actions and inactions over the last eight years, point to a president who appears to have little understanding of democracy.
According to him, President Mahama’s recent warning to Ghanaians against changing governments regularly because it stalls development was truly unfortunate.
“I get sad listening to the President sometimes. It is heart-wrenching hearing some of the comments he makes. Does he understand the tenets of democracy? If he understood democracy, he would not be saying some of the things he says,” Akufo stated.
He continued: “If changing governments was bad, why did he and his party agitate for the changing of the NPP government in 2008? Changing governments was good for him in 2008, but when the time has come for Ghanaians to change governments in 2016, it is now a bad thing”, Akufo-Addo said.
Mr Akufo-Addo was addressing residents of Denkyira Obuasi in the Upper Denkyira West constituency, in the Central Region, on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, when he made these remarks.
The three-time presidential candidate explained that it was for a good reason that Ghana’s Constitution directed that elections be held every four years.
“Why is that so? It is because when you come into office and do a poor job, Ghanaians have the opportunity of removing you from office. We (in the NPP) are coming to change this incompetent government and bring in a competent government,” he assured.
Again, Mr Akufo-Addo indicated that President Mahama’s issue with him begging for the votes of Ghanaians is, yet, another affirmation of the President’s weak understanding of democracy.
“Doesn’t the power reside in the hands of Ghanaians? So if I want the opportunity to serve the people, don’t I have to beg for it? Let it be known to him that I will not stop begging Ghanaians for their mandate,” he added.
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