Minister designate for information, Mustapha Hamid says his comments made about former President Dramani Mahama describing him as an “unrepentant ethnic bigot” was in rebuttal to the injurious comments made against his then candidate Akufo-Addo by their political opponents.

“Under the circumstances I thought that it was Okay. These things were said in rebuttal to the NDC tagging of my candidate at that time as an ethnic bigot,” he told the Appointments Committee Thursday.

The nominee in 2016 engaged in a media war with Ghana’s Ambassador to Namibia and Botswana, Harruna Attah, over the latter’s claim that the NPP flag bearer in 2007 told him that no non-Akan would ever be allowed to lead the party into an election, suggesting to the public that Mr. Akufo-Addo was an ethnicist.

But Hamid in a rebuttal said such comment only sought to put Mr Akufo-Addo at par with an “avowed ethnicist” like Mr Mahama.

Mustapha Hamid when he appeared before the Vetting committee Thursday took the opportunity to express his regret and disgust with the mud-slinging that have polluted the political space.

“Mr. Chairman I regret the polluted political environment that enables people from both sides of the political divide to throw such invective into the public space and poison the atmosphere. I regret that environment very much, If by your grace I’m Minister, Insha Allah, I shall work to rid our environment of such pollution,” he said.