General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has said the Chairman of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey represents the face of corruption.

Asiedu Nketia’s accusation was contained in a statement issued to counter another statement issued by the NPP Chairman which accused the Mahama administration of seeking to steal the free senior high school concept from the party.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey’s statement also compared President Mahama’s leadership to that of a “giggling toddler” and accused the president and his government of corruption in the cocoa industry.

Describing the NPP’s statement as “pedestrian” and “lacking depth”, Mr Nketia said the NPP always resorts to “calumny and disinformation” as its “weapon of choice” to cover up its deficiencies in playing a meaningful role as the biggest opposition party.

The NDC’s statement, in part, said: “we wish to turn attention to a part of the NPP statement where they claim that: ‘For cocoa no mention of any decision to reverse your inept, corrupt and politically driven looting that has resulted in the loss of 200,000 tonnes of exports and more and more cocoa farms being uprooted for galamsey.”

“This allegation which is totally false and without basis epitomises the kind of substandard politicking with which the NPP has become so enamoured,” Asiedu Nketia wrote.

The statement said: “Without any proof whatsoever, they accuse the president and his government of corruption regarding cocoa production and yet want to be taken seriously.

“This is especially disturbing coming from a man like Jacob Obetsebi-Lamptey who has come to represent all that is corrupt, immoral and unethical about governance through his shameful and greedy looting of state lands and bungalows,” it continued.

It added that: “If he wants evidence of corruption let him only reflect over the fact that he paid a paltry GHC 390,000 for over an acre of prime land which was valued GHC2 million. He can also ponder over the fact that the government that he served in doled out prime state lands to the then president, his chief of staff, ministers and party apparatchiks like confetti-a practice which was in clear breach of the trust that the people of Ghana had reposed in them to manage these lands on their behalf.”

“We in the NDC are gratified and remain eternally grateful to President Mahama for putting an end to this ignominious plunder of state assets which was the stock-in-trade of the NPP”, adding that: “We are of the firm conviction that no amount of ridiculous lies will deter the NDC government from carrying out its responsibility and avowed policy of ushering this country into rapid socio-economic development. We call on the NPP to develop their capacity to offer useful alternatives.”