The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged President John Dramani Mahama to account to Ghanaians the expenditure of his “Accounting to the People Tour” and refund the money due to “abuse of incumbency.”

According to the main opposition, the tour is a clear abuse of incumbency under the guise of official government duties.

Speaking at a press conference dubbed: “The True State of Eastern Region” held in Koforidua on Wednesday, the Eastern Regional Executives of the NPP said “the tour is a desperate pre-campaign launch project.”

“Under the circumstances where he would be honest about it and therefore not corruptly spend state resources to do so, we would not have a problem with it,” the second regional vice chairman of NPP, Nana Fredua Ofori-Atta told the media.

“After all, he is a candidate. But he is campaigning overtly under the guise of presidential business as usual. We, therefore, call on him to account for the cost of this tour of the region and ask that he refunds the cost to the state coffers. The abuse of office and corruption must stop.”

According to the party, Mahama did not account to the people when he went to the Eastern region, adding the real state of affairs is a picture of deplorable road networks, poor educational infrastructure, the poor state of the National Health Insurance Scheme and challenges confronting the health sector in the region, scarcity of potable water, illegal mining activities and the collapsed state of agriculture.