The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has urged the hierarchy of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to kowtow to the challenge thrown by the Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for a debate on the state of the economy.

The NPP Wednesday challenged the NDC to avail its vice presidential candidate, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, to respond to 170 statements and claims postulated by Dr. Bawumia at a lecture themed: “The State of the Ghana Economy — a foundation of Concrete or Straw?”

Amissah-Arthur has been responding to the lecture delivered by Dr. Bawumia, arguing that the claims were untrue. He also served notice he will itemise those claims and respond to them appropriately at the right time.

In their quest therefore to speed up Amissah-Arthur’s response, the NPP compiled a list of 170 statements to aid him in his desire thereof.

“We have compiled at least 170 statements and claims made in the Lecture to which we look forward to a response from government,” a statement from Bawumia’s office said.

Speaking Thursday on Joy FM, Mr. Debrah said the governing NDC will not be cowed into kowtowing to the NPP’s demands.

He argued that "when one is in a competition with somebody and he allows his opponent to coach or to direct him on what to do — he must know he is losing.

“And so, we told our people you don’t necessarily need to follow or copy what he [Dr. Bawumia] says.”

He thus urged them to go to the ground and talk to the people who are going to vote, plead and convince them to vote for the NDC.

“Don’t sit in Accra and be responding to them on radio,” said Mr. Debrah as he admits that he gets jittery by Dr. Bawumia’s incursions into communities seeking votes for the NPP.

“I must admit that when I see Mahamudu Bawumia going to communities to communities I get scared,” he admitted.

He said it will be suicidal politically to stay aloof thinking the forthcoming poll is a done deal even though he believes the elections are NDC’s to lose.

“Now we are very confident that we are going to win the elections not because we are saying something that is extraordinary, but basically because of the delivery,” he stated, adding that “touching base with the people… is something that’s very, very useful.”