<<Print>>

“We do not think it is fair on the President for us to compare Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to him. One, Dr Bawumia is not incompetent. Two, Dr Bawumia is not corrupt. Three, Dr Bawumia knows about economic management. Four, Dr Bawumia is competent.”

The acting Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Freddie Blay, made this known when he addressed a press conference at the Party’s Headquarters to address recent pronouncements made by the President on Monday, on a tour of the Greater Accra Region.

The President stated that the running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo had not held any position or undertaken any responsibility that came close to the work of the President, yet he always saw the need to call him incompetent.

In a sharp response to these comments by the President, Freddie Blay remarked that “if competence is defined by a President who promised to end dumsor in 2013, and has been competently shifting that expiry date since then, and with no end in sight, then we rest our case.”

He assured Ghanaians that the details of why this government under President Mahama has been most incompetent will be done by Dr. Bawumia when he addresses the nation next week, in a press conference.

The acting Chairman of the NPP associated the party with a statement from the Progressive People’s Party to the effect that “In fact, by ignoring your responsibility of governing this country and engaging in this fruitless tour is enough justification for the hash tag #incompetentmahama to be adapted from now until November 2016.”

Mr.Blay reminded Ghanaians that in eight years of the NPP government, under President John Kufuor, Ghana spent a total of GH¢20 billion to achieve all the good things that Ghanaians remember so well and miss so dearly. 

“But, in less than seven years, this NDC government has spent GH¢200 billion. Yes, ten times more than the NPP did. And, yet, we are told that the artist is still competently at work and that we must continue to sit down on the chair and shut up until his work is done,” he remarked.

Mr.Blay advised President Mahama not to mock God, and judge his own performance in office with flying colours.

“He even went ahead to mock God to say that the Good Lord knows he has done well and will reward him with a “one touch” victory in 2016. Our only response to the President’s constant exploitation of religion for deceit is to refer him to Galatians 6:7, “Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows””, he added.

Mr. Blay urged journalists not to be distracted from their core duty of being the Fourth Estate of the Realm.

“Do what you do best. Help the country, ask the questions, and pile up the pressure on the people who are the custodians of the purse. Do so diligently without fear or favour, to save our treasury, to save our democracy and to save our country,” he admonished.