The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Ofoase Ayirebi Constituency in the Eastern Region, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has challenged President Mahama to admit his failure and broken promises to Ghanaians.
The President, who had earlier promised Ghanaians of a better Ghana, now says Ghanaians will feel the effect of his performance in their pockets in his second term, if he’s voted for this November.
Speaking at the Inauguration of a one of the Community Day Senior High Schools at Kwaobaah Nyanoa in the Eastern Region on Thursday, President Mahama admonished Ghanaians to bear with the present challenges in the country because they are sacrifices necessary for Ghana’s brighter future.
[contextly_sidebar id=”udkXdkoGMTLzuCLhqh2FNzLQfcfZvvaB”]He argued that his first four years in office have been spent improving the social infrastructure which he believes will form the backbone of more development projects if he is granted a second term.
But speaking on Citi Eyewitness News, Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah disagreed with the president’s claims accusing him of double standards and called on Ghanaians to hold him accountable to his promises.
“If today, four years down the line, you tell us that you have failed to deliver on the basic human needs of the people because you were building infrastructure, I say that it is double standards. The President made explicit promises in his 2012 manifesto. We must hold him for account for his promises.”
Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah further urged the President to give an honest account of his tenure and admit his Government’s failures to Ghanaians.
“So when you rise up and you want to give an account of your tenure, respectfully, I would hope that the President will say; I promised these but I have not been able to deliver. That’s honesty.”
According to Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah, President Mahama would be better of asking Ghanians for more time instead of making such claims.
“You need to explain why; and perhaps ask for some more time but you don’t tell us there was no infrastructure and you have now spent the time creating the infrastructure.”
But a Deputy Minister in Charge of Tertiary of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and MP for North Tongu, hit back at the aspiring MP saying the NPP were only speaking through Mr. Oppong-Nkrumah because everyone else in their party is tainted with broken promises.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah is new to politics and the NPP and is unaware of their own baggage of numerous broken promises in the past.
“The NPP is not confident of their record so they will put out Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah who doesn’t have baggage to talk about broken promise. He doesn’t know he is being used,”the Deputy Education Minster added.
Mr Ablakwa said he counted about 58 broken promises emanating from the 2004 NPP manifesto and assured the people of Ghana his party held promises “sacred”, unlike the NPP.
“We the NDC are different and we hold our promises sacred that even when we come and meet harsh economic conditions, we still put in our best effort to deliver on the pledges and the promises that we make to the dear people of the nation.”
Listen to the two make their points in the audio below
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By Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana