Minister of Communication, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, says President John Mahama has not yet started with his campaign towards the November polls.
This is in response to a comment made by founder of the Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), Papa Kwesi Nduom.
Dr. Nduom, in a remark made on Facebook suggested that the President’s nationwide ‘Accounting to the People’ tour is a campaign trip running on tax payer’s money.
"Our President, John Dramani Mahama is off and about touring the ten regions, campaigning, touting his record, asking to be returned to office. Who is funding this campaign trip? Who decided to put the President in an Electoral Commission advertisement and why did he not see anything wrong with it? Who paid for it? There are advertisements on radio, TV, newspapers, social media about the “Transforming Lives” agenda of the NDC. Who is paying for them? Where did the money come from? Why are ministers of state and government officials using official vehicles that belong to the state plus fuel to follow the President?
There is a difference between official duties of a President, Ministers of State and DCEs and political campaign activities that should be private and self-funded. Where is the Electoral Commission on this? When will we have this Commission probe how political parties fund their campaigns? Those who cheat to come to power also cheat when they get the power" he said.
But contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold Saturday, Omane Boamah said he will not give prominence to what the PPP founder said.
According to him, the President is not on a campaign trip and that Dr. Nduom should 'curve out his own campaign' instead of riding on the 'popularity of President Mahama.
“I have decided not to respond to him (Nduom). He is not going to benefit from attention. If he wants to campaign, let him curve out his own campaign and not to piggyback on the popularity of President Mahama. Mahama has not started his campaign. Mahama will continue to deliver on the mandate that Ghanaians bestowed on him. He is not campaigning…President Mahama has not started with his campaign yet…per what the party elders are saying, His campaign will not start until after June this year…”
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