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The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress [NDC], Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was “terrible” in his delivery to explain to Ghanaians the military deal Ghana has signed with the United States of America [USA].

According to him, his party among many Ghanaians was excited when the presidency announced that the president will address the issue which has been on the lips of many in the country – but Asiedu Nketiah noted that the first gentleman of the land rather failed to show leadership with his choice of words.

“Ghanaians voted for a president who they thought can resolve such issues, but this president was full of anger and abusive in an attempt to resolve the brouhaha surrounding this Ghana-US defence deal. I personally think it would have been better if he did not come out to explain this issue to Ghanaians. He has failed his party and Ghanaians,” Asiedu Nketia said in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show dubbed ‘GHANA MONTIE’

President Nana Addo on Thursday urged Ghanaians to, as far as the defence deal is concerned, “reject the unspeakable hypocrisy of the naysayers who led our country into bankruptcy in the worst economic record of modern Ghanaian history”, adding: “Let us rise above them.”

In a national address on the matter to clear the air about the defence cooperation deal which has been mired in a lot of controversy at home, President Akufo-Addo rejected accusations by the main opposition National Democratic Congress and its Minority in parliament that he has sold Ghana’s sovereignty to the US for $20million per the deal.

According to him, the NDC and its Minority are being hypocritical about the whole deal.

“How else would we have exposed the unspeakable hypocrisy of a fraternity of some frontline politicians who make a habit of running with the hares and hunting with the hounds who secretly wallow in the largesse of the United States of America while at the same time promote anti-American sentiment to a populist constituency.

“We have to take issue with the frontline politicians who have sought to mislead the people in this blatant manner and those who for mischievous purposes leaked the document destined for the scrutiny of parliament premature to a section of the media who then went on to describe it as a secret document.

“How could a document, intended for the consideration of parliament be described as a secret document? How could anyone who has been in government and run the administration of this nation feign ignorance of the conditions under which Ghanaian troops undertake peace-keeping operations or the conditions under which our country has collaborated with major international institutions?

“It is difficult to understand that such people, knowing what they do know, will go about so blatantly confusing people and going as far as calling for the overthrow of our democracy.”

However, the NDC’s Chief Scribe, in a sharp riposte opined that “Nana Addo chose to attack persons who have opposed the deal rather than addressing the issue to Ghanaians”.

“He has no answers to the issues we have raised, and, so, he wants to divert attention from the real issues. We are not going to fall for his diversionary tactic and swallow this debate; we will continue to raise those issues,” he told sit-in-host Mc-Jerry Osei Agyemang. 

General Mosquito as affectionately called in politics also noted that “The leakage of the document was from NPP and not NDC as the president postulated. The president and his government are confused.”