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In a desperate move to accuse Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu of �engaging in anti-government propaganda of the most undesirable kind�, a deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has vindicated position of the Minority Leader that a whopping amount of GH�2.8 billion was sunk into the NDC campaign in 2012 to project President Mahama. In a press release issued and signed by the deputy Minister, he claimed that the assertions by Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu were �totally false�, as he tried to itemise how the Mahama government ended up with the record budget deficit of GH�8.7 billion. �For the avoidance of doubt we wish to reiterate that the factors that accounted for the excess deficit in 2012 are as follows: (a) Higher wages and wage arrears payments under the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure-GH� 1,909 million(or 2.6 % of GDP); (b) Shortfall in corporate income taxes from petroleum sector-GH�708.2million(0.5% of GDP); (c) High interest cost burden arising from a steep rise in short term domestic interest rates-GH�245million(0.3% of GDP); (d) Shortfall in grants from donors-GH�389.4 million(0.5% of GDP); (e) Higher subsidies on utilities and petroleum products-GH�339million(0.5% of GDP); and (f) Higher spending on goods and services-GH�354million(0.5% of GDP),� the release sought to explain how the record deficit of GH�8.7 billion came about. However, a careful look at the figures provided by Felix Kwakye Ofosu reveal that they do not add up to the GH�8.7 bn. Adding up the figures, as outlined by the deputy minister, gives a figure of GH�3.944 billion, with GH�4.755 billion still unaccounted for. The Minority Leader was reported by Myjoyonline.com to have expressed serious concerns about how the Mahama government over-spent its 2012 budget to the tune of Ghs2.8bn. "What happened in 2012, two months before the election?� he asked in respect of �the huge over expenditure that they involved themselves in, to the tune of 2.8 billion cedis.� "And the apologists of the NDC will turn round and say John Mahama took only six weeks to campaign and defeated Akufo-Addo. Now the country knows that 2.8 billion of hard currency was utilised to project the cause of John Mahama, monies that were not given to him by Parliament. Clearly embezzlement of state finances to reposition himself. That is what happened," the Minority Leader was quoted by Myjoyonline.com in an interview on the performance of President A week ago, ministerial appointees held series of programmes in which they trumpeted government's achievements President Mahama in 2013. The president later crowned it all with a media interaction with editors and senior journalists. Far from the flowery achievements chronicled by the president and his appointees, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the country is "living in an era of too much propaganda." He said the country had had to pay dearly for the misappropriation of state funds in 2012. "...Because of that even statutory commitments could not be met. For nine months they couldn't transfer monies into the District Assemblies Common Fund, to GETFund, monies that were meant for road fund were taken away. Health Insurance, they couldn't pay for ten months,� he stressed. He added that it was instructive to note that the president honestly admitted in his media interaction that 2013 was a difficult year, even though "his ministers, cheer leaders had been going round telling us how wonderful 2013 has been."