President John Dramani Mahama says the New Patriotic Party(NPP) promise to increase the number of service years in the military from 25 to 30 years is just a ploy to court the support of the military in the December elections.

He said the plan is a calculated attempt to win the hearts of military personnel with barely a month to the crucial polls, but said the military will not be swayed by such “cheap promise”.

“Yesterday we heard something from our opponents. Because they want votes from soldiers they say they are now increasing the number of years one serves in the military from 25 to 30 years. They launch their manifesto not too long ago and they did not state that in it and so why are they saying this now. This is to win votes from the military. Ghananians are discerning now and this thing won’t work.”

Currently, army recruits retire after 25 years, but the Chairman of the NPP’s sub-committee on Defense and Interior, Dominic Nitiwul, told journalists on Monday about the party’s intent to extend the period of service before retirement by five more years.

But addressing party supporters at Akroso in the Eastern Region, President Mahama said the move is just election gimmicks asking his opponents not to take Ghanaians for a ride in the name of politics.

“We in the NDC, if we won’t do something, we won’t say we will do it. But if we say we will do it, we will do it. When we promise, we deliver. We don’t make empty promises,” President Mahama assured the electorate.