National Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Portuphy, seems to have finally woken up to the reality with an admission that times are indeed hard in the country.

This follows strenuous attempts by the party to raise an amount of GHC30,000 to save the three convicted contemnors – Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, host of Montie FM’s ‘Pampaso’ programme, and two of his panelists, Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson – sentenced to four months’ imprisonment each over contempt charges, from serving another month each.

The three were found guilty of scandalizing the court when they went on radio to attack the justices of the Supreme Court, threatening them with death.

The court also slapped a fine of GHC10,000 on each of them to pay by close of work Thursday or in default be jailed for additional one month.

As a party which was thought to be directly or indirectly benefitting from the acts and utterances of the Montie three, the NDC decided to raise funds to save the three from sleeping in prison for one additional month.

But that effort hit a snag since they could not generate the needed amount, compelling the National Chairman of the party, Mr Kofi Portuphy – who had earlier issued a statement to condemn the Supreme Court verdict – to express his frustration.

Speaking on Accra-based Kasapa FM a day after the three were thrown into jail, he said, “Yes, they have offended; they’ve shown remorse and apologised, and their lawyers have pleaded. In this hard time that people go through in looking for money, in such a time we have been told to pay this fine within 24 hours. I mean where have we found it like that in this country? The punishment is too harsh,” a virtual admission of the difficult times the country is going through.

This clearly counters claims by President Mahama and the NDC that people’s lives are being changed and transforming Ghana, for which reason they want Ghanaians to retain them in power in the coming elections.

Portuphy’s comment seems to have ruffled a lot of Ghanaians who are pained by the fact that in spite of this admission of hard times, he and the NDC government want a renewal of their mandate to rule the country for yet another four-year term.