According to him, his focus at the moment is on contributing towards the party’s restructuring and healing process to make the NDC a stronger force in the elections.

Some supporters of Mr. Mahama, who was defeated in the last election, have consistently urged him to declare his intentions ahead of the next polls.

Already, five NDC stalwarts have declared their readiness to lead the party into the polls, including 2nd deputy Speaker, Alban Bagbin and Prof. Joshua Alabi.

[contextly_sidebar id=”lgOILxL7gk3gp2hWmy3cwS9aw8wJbp5R”]But speaking to NDC supporters in London, Mr. Mahama said he will soon make his intentions known.

“There are many who have declared their intention to run when the nominations are opened. I’ve been focusing on the reorganization and so I have not made any intentions and I said rightly that if I declare that I will run or I won’t run it will have implications for the reorganization. If I say I won’t run, then it means that the number of people who will intensify their activity to become the presidential candidates would increase in tempo.”

“If I say I will run, then it will also have implications on the reorganization exercise because then the focus will be the fact that I say I want to run so that is why I’m doing the things I want to do. As the immediate past leader who led the party into the elections of 2016 and we lost, I have a responsibility to make sure that the party is put back on its feet so that whoever leads it has a very good chance of taking us into victory. And that is my focus at the moment,” he added.

‘Mahama is our man’

The 10 Regional Chairmen of the NDC, in November 2017, backed the candidature of John Mahama for election 2020, even without the latter announcing his intention to contest.

The ten chairmen after a meeting issued a communique in which they urged the former President to consider running for the 2020 polls.

58% of voters expect Mahama to contest

A survey conducted by the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana also revealed that 58% of voters believe that Mr. Mahama, will lead the NDC in the 2020 elections.

Head of the Political Science Department, Dr. Bossman Asare, who made this revelation while presenting the survey findings, said: “We wanted to find out who the voters think should lead the party [NDC] in 2020, and overwhelmingly 58% of the candidates we interviewed said they believed Mr. Mahama will become the candidate and a number of them generally said they wanted Mr. Mahama to come.”

“It means when you look at the graph, some people were getting 2 percent. Prof Alabi, Ricketts Hagan, Spio Grabrah, I think all of them were getting less than 7% so we were all surprised,” Dr. Asare added after releasing the report in January 2018.

Bagbin, others via for NDC flagbearership slot

Several members of the NDC including, Nadowli-Kaleo MP, Alban Bagbin, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, former NHIA boss, Sylvester Mensah, Joshua Alabi, former MP for La-Dadekotopon, Nii Amasah Namoale among others, have given indications they may contest the flagbearership position.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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In an open letter to the President, Mr. Ablakwa said the President’s silence on the matter was uncharacteristic of the man known to be very vocal.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Bimv3xDugUIvJnVEEqlC8mKQQbDK3Zo6″]“Respectfully, Mr President, you can therefore understand why most of us are extremely surprised at your sudden belief in silence. Your silence on the agreement issue is very much out of character, and we are sincerely befuddled. Everybody is saying this is not the man we have known from ‘titi [ since time immemorial]’.”

He said the President’s silence and the government’s attempts to divert attention from the matter with the “the high-handed and dramatic arrest of Koku Anyidoho and the change of name of the Flagstaff House to Jubilee House have so far not worked according to plan.”

In Mr. Ablakwa’s view, the president’s silence on the matter amounted to a dereliction of duty, and was also tarnishing his reputation as one of Africa’s most influential leaders.

“It’s a real tragedy that this singular agreement and US$20 million dollars threaten to destroy everything. A similar defence cooperation agreement between the Kenyan Government and the British Government which has gone viral on social media has deepened our woes, and Ghana, a country used to be the trailblazer and shining example for other African countries is now becoming an object of ridicule on the continent.”

The North Tongu MP thus dared the President to defend the agreement that was sparked by his discussion with US President Donald Trump, according to Paragraph 4 of the Preamble of the agreement.

“Is Mr. President not proud of his agreement and therefore not bold to man up and defend it with all your acclaimed reputation in advocacy? What did President Trump tell you in that “recent dialogue” that suddenly makes you so averse to listening to and speaking to your own people on this particular issue? What really is in this agreement for you, Mr. President? Is your silence borne out of an effort to hide something from Ghanaians?”

“It is for this reason, Mr. President, that a higher obligation is imposed on you to engage Ghanaians and take steps to renegotiate with the Americans those articles in the Agreement that the overwhelming majority of Ghanaians are affronted by, and compromises their sacred sovereignty,” Mr Ablakwa said in his letter.

Mr. Ablakwa’s full letter can be seen here

‘Controversial’ components

Parliament last month approved the Ghana-US Military cooperation agreement, which seeks to give US forces access to some critical national installations for their exclusive use.

The pact, which has sparked widespread controversy, was approved without the Minority in Parliament who were opposed to it.

Cabinet had agreed to provide the US’ military with a place near the Kotoka International Airport and also give them unhindered access to some key installations following a Memorandum of Understanding between the government of Ghana and the US government.

The MoU was laid before Parliament, recommending that the House ratify the agreement, but the opposition rejected it.

With the agreement was ratified, it meant that the US army will among other things would be exempted from paying taxes on equipment that are brought to Ghana as well as use Ghana’s radio spectrum for free.

Although many Ghanaians have expressed resentment over the clauses of the agreement, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, said the deal is in the best interest of Ghana.

The Government has consistently explained that it was only respecting the existing Status of Forces Agreement with the US signed since 1998 and reviewed in 2015, under the previous NDC administration.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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A member of his legal team, Victor Adawudu, assured that Mr. Anyidoho will present himself as directed by the police.

“We would abide by the terms of the [bail] conditions and go and see the police. That is all we need to do. They will decide what exactly the way forward is,” the Lawyer told Citi News.

In an interview on Accra-based Happy FM where he was commenting on the controversial Ghana-US defence cooperation agreement, Mr. Anyidoho warned that President Nana Akufo-Addo could be overthrown, stating that the overthrow will be in the form of a “civilian coup d’etat”.

Mr. Anyidoho was subsequently picked up last Tuesday by the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).

His Oyarifa residence in Accra was also searched before he was moved from the police headquarters and sent to an unknown location.

He was subsequently detained by the CID and spent two nights in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations after which he was granted bail on Friday.

Police have also been permitted by a High Court to seize all electronic devices belonging to Mr. Anyidoho.

The electronic gadgets including laptops, iPhone and iPads, believed to store information related to treason in the premises of Mr. Anyidoho are to aid investigations.

Mr. Anyidoho is yet to be charged with any offence despite earlier reports that he had been charged with treason.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The Communications Director of the NPP in the constituency, Nana Adusei Opoku, urged the police to bring the perpetrators to book regardless of their party affiliation.

“The NPP in Asunafo South does not support some of these things. In fact, we were the persons who spoke against some these obnoxious acts when we were in opposition,” he told Citi News.

“We solidarise with our MP even though he belongs to the other side of the political divide, we think that some of these things do not help the constituency to move forward. Crime has no colour and you being an NPP member doesn’t exonerate you from the courts if you are found to be the culprit of a crime. So if it happens that some our members are behind this thing, the police should take over and the courts will deal with them,” Nana Adusei Opoku stressed.

The Police in Kukuom are already on a manhunt for the men who carried out the attack on Sunday and vandalized vehicles in the MP’s compound.

The unknown assailants attacked and wounded three other persons, believed to be supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress, with cutlasses.

This is the second attack on Eric Opoku’s private residence after a similar incident in December 2017.

The Kukuom District Police Commander, DSP Robert Akwasi Boakye, said his outfit has picked up leads that will aid in the arrest of the suspects.

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By: Zoe Abu-Baidoo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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“We are wholly committed to holding the feet of the NPP and the Akufo-Addo government to the fire of accountability,” the Minority Spokesperson Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini said.

The Sagnarigu Constituency Member of Parliament, Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, Bolga Central constituency MP, Issac Adongo and a former Nanton MP, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, were speaking at a lecture organised by the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) of the NDC at the Tamale Technical University.

The Sagnarigu MP, Alhaji A.B.A. Fuseini said the NDC was poised to hold the Akufo-Addo government accountable for their juicy campaign promises that won them power at the 2016 polls.

Alhaji Fusseini stressed that, “Government will see real fire and fury from the NDC in and outside of Parliament inasmuch as demonstrations and the Ghana-US Military Agreement are concerned. I am telling you something, we will make it costly for the NPP to carry forward the agreement.”

“The Executive would have executed the agreement before it was brought to Parliament. We brought it to the attention of the Speaker to no avail. So from day one we have been against it. It is an illegality. It is a walking contradiction and an affront to our constitution. They will tell you our NDC MPs approved this at the Committee level. It is blatant falsehood,” he fumed.

According to him, the NDC and their allies will not relax their resistance to the Ghana-US Army deal.

“The Akufo-Addo government is yet to see the very least of resistance against the Ghana-US Military Agreement from the Minority. We are very ready to spit fire over the controversial deal.”

He hinted of a nationwide protest by the Ghana First Patriotic Front and its allies against the deal.

“The Ghana First Patriotic Front demonstration was the first and smallest in a series of demonstrations that will rock this government. The selling of our sovereignty to the US is something we will hold President Akufo-Addo’s legs to the fire of accountability.”

“When ordinary people do not agree to something, no one can force them to it. The first demonstration by Ghana First Patriotic Front is first of many they are yet to see.”

A former MP for the Nanton constituency, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed challenged the government to account for the GHc 28.6 billion borrowed within one year.

“When the NDC was in government the current government led by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo requested the NDC government to show them (NPP) prove of their borrowing. Now we are also asking them (NPP) to show us their bloated projects for us to see. They borrowed Ghc28.6 billion in one year and there is nothing to show. Nothing to show for it.”

“When prove was shown in roads, hospitals, schools, housing units among others in a “green book they (NPP) then turned around to question the cost by saying the projects costs were bloated. That’s how they are. NPP, you must know them.”

Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed insinuated that it will be politically suicidal to retain the Nana Akufo Addo government in power at the 2020 polls.

Economy

The MP for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo implored Vice President Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to save the economy from total collapse.

He described Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a “Clueless and incompetent” head of government’s economic management team.

“These people are not only clueless, they are wicked people. Clearly these people are a danger to the future of Ghana’s growing business community.”

Issac Adongo accused government of masterminding the selective collapse of indigenous banks such as the Unibank, Capital Bank and the UT Bank.

“The Bank of Ghana’s selective application of its rules is to favour the parochial interest of Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta who is not in favour of some shareholders of adb pledging their shares to uniBank Ghana.”

“Mr. Ofori-Atta and the leadership of the Bank of Ghana are the ones destroying private sector businesses using the advantage of political power to further their financial interest. We will not allow uniBank to be collapsed on the altar of political expediency. I want to encourage those of you here with uniBank accounts to stay put. The bank will bounce back to Duffour and its rightful owners,” Issac Adongo allayed fears.

The Bolgatanga Central MP said Nana Akufo Addo’s government which is clamoring “Ghana beyond Aid” was engaged in reckless borrowing.

“It is only NPP who have borrowed Ghc28.6 billion in one year but remains dry as it is. My worry is that this government is creating rising debt and Ghana is suffering from high rising debt and we are worried this will create problems for this country.”

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post We’ll spit more fire over Ghana-US military deal – Minority appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The former President on his Facebook page indicated that though many social media pages are using his name or a combination of his official names, his official Facebook Account and Twitter Handle remain @JDMahama.

The President clarified that any other account is “unauthorized and unknown” to him or his office.

Don’t use my name for personal interests – Mahama warns

In 2017, the former President issued a similar caution to party members when he warned that persons seeking to solicit information from other party executives and members under the pretext that they are being sponsored by him to desist from such acts.

A statement from the office of the former President indicated that “some members of the party are seeking to solicit information from executives and members of the NDC, claiming that they are being sponsored by the Office of HE John Dramani Mahama.”

The statement , which was signed by special aide to the President , Joyce Mogtari, advised the culprits to desist from such acts, saying “we wish to strongly advise them to desist from such acts of impersonation and misinformation, particularly as we all continue to work towards reorganizing the party across the country.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to him, he was able to organize the party structures when he assumed office after the sudden demise of late Chairman Adam Mahama, to increase both the parliamentary seats and presidential votes of the region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mkByQCvYg0CJiLXMm2orFT9woRiVL4IZ”]Addressing a news conference in Bolgatanga, Mr. Murtala said he was poised to improve the political fortunes of the party at the regional level when given the nod as the chairman.

“Since I took over as substantive regional chairman after the demise of my late regional chairman, Chairman Adams; May his soul rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the lord. When everything was looking very gloomy for the region, when the structures of the party were in limbo, I stepped in at the most critical time to restructure and restore dignity and pride in the works of the party in the Upper East region. At this time, I embarked on a unity visit to all the constituencies. Four years ago, I was elected as the Upper East regional first vice chairman for the New Patriotic Party.”

“I organized the first fundraising ceremony in Accra, and I can confidently tell you, that under my leadership as the regional chairman, we were able to increase the number of parliamentary seats from One to Three (3)  in the region, and significantly increase our presidential votes in the  2016 general election.”

Mr. Murtala said his priority now is to improve the party’s structures in the region by adopting strategies such as  ‘ADOPT A POLLING STATION’,  and working at getting resources to run party activities at both constituency and regional level.

Mr. Murtala appealed to delegates to give him their unflinching support by voting to retain him as chairman considering his track record and achievements since his assumed the position.

He also made a clarion call on all contestants in the regional executives’ race to refrain from politics of insults and malice.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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This is because his main contender, Asare Bediako, has stepped down, sources have told citinewsroom.com

Asare Bediako, before joining the race, was the Asokwa Constituency Chairman of the NPP, who vowed to unseat Wontumi.

It is currently unclear what informed Mr Bediako’s decision to opt out. Mr Bernard Antwi Boasiako is known for his no-nonsense approach which some believe played a pivotal role in the party’s victory in the 2016 elections.

Others are however of the view that he is impatient, and that his approach paints a negative picture of the party.

Some also say he’s a hardworking party member who understands grassroots politics, and also supports the party financially as an influential businessman.

NPP Regional executives’ election slated for April 21 to 24

The party is currently preparing to organize elections at the regional level from 21^st to 24^th April 2018.

This comes after similar elections took place for the polling station and constituency executives.

Troubles at polling station and constituency executives’ elections

The election of the polling station and constituency executives could not take place in some areas due to some unresolved issues.

John Boadu, the party’s acting General Secretary at a press conference held in March 2018, said they have been able to make strides in resolving such issues, adding that about 14 constituencies were unable to elect their executives.

In the Western Region, the acting General Secretary said the party has been able to resolve issues in the four troubled constituencies which included “Shama, Kwesimintsim and Sekondi, with the exception of Elembelle.”

He added that “the party has ordered for fresh polling station elections in the three constituencies which have started in earnest.”

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By: citinewsroom.com/Ghana

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“First and foremost, President Akufo-Addo richly deserves the apology because he as President earned his legitimacy through the ballot box and not the gun. Secondly, the President is the current custodian of the people’s power.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”3DutvkHRcksEU5FFlH27hgYP7EZd766P”]Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the supposed treasonable comments by Mr. Anyidoho, Mr. Amfo-Sefah said Koku ought to show maturity through remorse.

He added that an apology from Mr. Anyidoho would deodorize the political atmosphere which he badly polluted with his comments.

Mr. Anyidoho is currently on bail after he had been released from Police custody following investigations into his comments.

Speaking on an Accra-based radio station last Tuesday, Mr. Anyidoho allegedly made certain security threatening comments that compelled the Bureau of National Investigations to pick him up for questioning.

To give his statement gravitas, he had referenced the 1972 overthrow of the Second Republic by former Military General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, that government had been led by Prime Minister K.A. Busia with President Akufo-Addo’s father, Edward Akufo-Addo, as ceremonial President.

According to Mr Anyidoho, that coup was a historical event that could repeat itself.

“The reference to that Acheampong coup was especially distasteful because in doing so, Mr. Anyidoho was citing a motivational example in the incitement of mayhem. And the fact that President Akufo-Addo’s father was a direct victim of that coup made it so distasteful,” he said.

The Tema West NPP Chairman brushed aside justifications that in the past there had been similar unfortunate declarations by people from both divides of Ghana’s politics, saying Koku Anyidoho’s throwback to a physical coup made his more dangerous.

He urged the NDC Deputy General Secretary to mitigate the mess he had already caused by apologizing to the President.

–

Source: GNA

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According to him, handlers of the president deemed the decision a perfect birthday gift to the president and failed to take into consideration the relevance of the decision to the general Ghanaian populace.

[contextly_sidebar id=”qfUcbTuYfvmoH1HjlYBb0XhRyE9OiNWe”]Speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis and current affairs programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, Victor Adawudu who is also the lawyer for embattled Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho  said the move was merely political.

“I see it more as ‘it was the president’s birthday, and the people around him wanted to massage his ego and say that on his birthday, we changed the name to Jubilee House. The president will be happy. Don’t forget that in politics, there is a concept of legacy and ownership, so if we name anything during our tenure, history will have it that it was during the tenure of these people that we called that…”

Victor Kojoga Adawudu who believes there were more important things to be done, added that the government wanted to divert the attention of citizens from the ensuing controversy over its acceptance of the Ghana-US Defence Cooperation Agreement which seeks to allow US military personnel unrestricted access to some vital defence installations in the country.

He said the government was feeling the “pressure” of citizens against its decision on the agreement and so wanted to redirect their concerns to less sensitive matters such as the renaming of the seat of government.

On Thursday March, 29, 2018, which coincides with President Akufo-Addo’s 74th birthday, the government announced that it was renaming the seat of government.

It changed the name from the Flagstaff House to Jubilee House.

The move came a day after thousands of Ghanaians staged a demonstration against the government for ratifying the Ghana-US defence cooperation agreement.

The demonstrators, most of whom were sympathizers of all the opposition parties including the NDC, said the government was selling the country’s sovereignty through the agreement, but the government has defended the decision.

The name of the seat of government

The seat of government was re-built in 2008 during the tenure of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) John Agyekum Kufuor.

The edifice which serves as the office for the president of Ghana was financed and constructed by the India government with $135 million in 2009.

After its construction, it was named the Golden Jubilee House when Ghana was celebrating 50 years since independence, until the National Democratic Congress (NDC) under the late President John Evans Atta-Mills, took over governance in 2009.

Mills moved the office of the president back to the Osu Castle and later changed the sign in front of the building back to its original name, claiming that the previous government had not used a Legislative Instrument to effect the change as required by law.

He was criticized by many who said the name Flagstaff House which was named by the British Gold Coast government glorifies colonialism.

The seat of government was moved back to Flagstaff House in January 2013.

Akufo-Addo gets $1m India money to renovate Jubilee House

The Indian government in August 2017 donated an amount of $1 million dollars to the Akufo-Addo government for the renovation of the edifice.

The donation was made by India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, M.J. Akbar who paid a courtesy call on President Nana Akufo-Addo on the occasion of India’s 70th independence anniversary.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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