Following the burial of President J.E.A. Mills, political activity has begun in earnest across the country.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), which suspended its campaign till the completion of the funeral ceremony has already taken a quick jab at President John Dramani Mahama for what the party says is his inability to deliver despite all the power he had at his disposal under the late president to bring progress into the lives of Ghanaians.

According to the NPP, President Mahama together with Vice President Amissah-Arthur are “responsible for the economic hardships that Ghanaians are suffering now.”

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, National Chairman of the NPP Mr. Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, queried: “what did Vice President Mahama do with the power Prof Atta Mills gave him and what did he do to deserve the absolute trust that President Mills reposed in him?”

Mr. Obetsebi Lamptey slammed the president and his vice for failing to manage the economy or deliver on the trust that President Mills had in them, adding “they failed the people of Ghana and cannot be trusted or expected to offer anything new.”

Lies and Propaganda

He said the NDC government has used propaganda and lies in their quest to deliver on the Better Ghana that they promised.

“In the last 3½ years alone the cedi has lost 81% of its value to the dollar. By the end of last week, the cedi had lost 21% of its value to the dollar in this year alone, and is still falling. The curious thing, ladies and gentlemen, is that nothing extraordinary has happened this year. Crude oil prices are stable, revenues from our export commodities are strong. In other words, our balance of payment is in a far stronger shape than it was during the record hikes in crude oil prices and the global food crisis that the NPP encountered in 2008.”

Mr Obetsebi Lamtpey averred that “there is nothing new about the John Mahama-Amissah Arthur ticket. They have spent the last three years presiding over PR gimmicks, vile propaganda and the depreciation of the cedi.”

They accused the president of showing incompetence because he failed to consult relevant stakeholders when he earlier decided to convert the “Jubilee House into a presidential cemetery.”

Corruption Record

On corruption, the NPP said President Mahama does not give them any hope in the fight against the menace.

“The President’s own active involvement in some of the most scandalous contracts and loan agreements over the last few years mean that Ghanaians have more reasons now to worry about corruption than before.

“President John Mahama was the same man who, against all competent advice, signed us up to allegedly the most corrupt loan agreement ever contracted by any government of Ghana, the US$10 billion STX housing deal. Ghanaians were to be fleeced of $1.5 billion for the construction of 30,000 flats, half of them single bedroom. The deal allowed the Korean company to walk away with a staggering $264 million in so-called ‘political risk insurance’,” the party said.

The NPP further chided President Mahama for what it says is the broken promises on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority project as well as the judgement debt that were paid to various individuals and groups.

The NPP said under an Akufo-Addo presidency, there will be real action to create prosperity for the masses, insisting that “the way to ensuring access to prosperity, is value addition activities in a transformed and a diversified modern economy.”

NDC Reactions Old Fashioned Politics

But Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a member of the communication team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will have none of that.

Reacting to the statement by the NPP, Mr Kwakye Ofosu said he was expecting that after Ghanaians bid the late President Mills farewell, there will be some decorum in the political discourse in the country.

Speaking on Asempa FM, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said the NPP has, in a characteristic manner, gone back to their old fashioned politics of lies which Ghanaians are being urged to shun.

Mr. Kwakye Ofosu described the statement as lacking any development message and strategy that the NPP has for the nation.

He said a direct comparison of Nana Akufo-Addo and President Mahama will do the former a lot of harm than good because the president stands tall despite his youthfulness.

Public Service Experience

According to him, even though President Mahama is younger than Nana Addo, President Mahama’s “public service and governance record” far outshines that of Nana Addo.

Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said aside the fact that Nana Addo and President Mahama both have 12 years’ experience in parliament, the latter served in public office as a deputy Minister and later as a Minister of Communication before Nana Addo got the became a Minister.

He further added that unlike Nana Addo, President Mahama has attained the highest position in public service, first as Vice President then as President. He explained that the telecoms sector saw immense progress under the leadership of President Mahama during his tenure as a Minister of Communication.

Touching on the competence of Nana Addo, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu said, as Attorney General, Nana Addo failed to properly handle a charge sheet against Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata and had to rely on President Kufuor to pack the Supreme Court in order to win the case.

He went to state that the NPP flagbearer failed to prosecute some ladies who were arrested on drug charges under his watch as AG

He said President Mahama will go down as the most active VP in the history of the world; a situation he believes is due to the significant contributions he has made to the governance of the nation.

Mr. Kwakye stated that the argument that Nana Addo has been spearheading demonstrations over the years is inconsequential to his ability to govern the nation because he (Felix Kwakye Ofosu) has spearheaded more demonstrations than the NPP flagbearer.