The Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party in the Tema East Constituency, Nene Ofoe Teye-chu Agbadiagba IV has chided former President John Dramani Mahama for what he says was an irresponsible act of populism that is unbecoming for a former president.

In an interview in Tema on Sunday, Nene said, “Mr John Mahama’s recent promise to fishers in Tema that when he is voted into office again as president, he will cancel the official fishing off-season that the government has instituted is irresponsible”.

“The official fishing off-season was instituted by the government for the purposes of ecological preservation and to keep the food chain in balance. If for political power you promise to cancel it, what is that supposed to mean?” the Tema East NPP Chairman asked rhetorically.

According to him, “It has to take an outrageously desperate president-wannabe to make such an irresponsible promise.”

Former President John Mahama was in Tema last week where he interacted with fisherfolk of the harbour city as part of his building Ghana tour.

The 2024 National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer promised to revamp fishing if he is re-elected reportedly promising fishers that if he returns to office, he will stop the annual moratorium that the government has put on fishing.

But as the NPP Chairman explains, that moratorium was instituted to ensure that there is no over-fishing.

“It is well known globally that overfishing does not only deplete fish stock, it actually endangers fish species and if such endangerment is not checked, fishes go extinct. We do not want our fishes going extinct that is why the government instituted the moratorium to allow fish to replenish,” Nene Ofoe Teye Teye-chu Agbadiagba IV told journalists at the Green Cool Corner in Tema.

He advised the former President to desist from such campaign tactics warning that because of such promises, he is gradually losing his reputation as a statesman and descending into a political liar.

“Ghanaians are wiser; the fisherfolk that you made that promise to are wise and know that the moratorium on fishing instituted by the government is a good thing and so there is no way anybody is going to vote for you because of such promises, infact, Mr. John Mahama is funny and not serious.” Nene Agbadiagba said.