Politics of Tuesday, 16 June 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Name and shame dishonest politicians - Alhaji Baba to media

Alhaji Baba Seidu Issifu, NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Nalerigu- Gambaga Constituency Alhaji Baba Seidu Issifu, NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Nalerigu- Gambaga Constituency

NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Nalerigu-Gambaga Constituency in the Northern Region, Alhaji Baba Seidu Issifu, has called on the media to name and shame dishonest politicians in the country.

According to him, the media space should not be used as a medium for politicians to make careless utterances without fact checking from colleague politicians.

Alhaji Baba’s assertion follows comments by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the commissioning of the Tema Motorway Interchange.

Akufo-Addo described claims by NDC that it undertook unprecedented infrastructural development, including roads, as a mere fantasy that was contained in the Green Book of the opposition, National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Speaking in an interview on Pan Africa TV, he said, “We are interested in the fallacy of the green book, what makes it wrong. What makes it a document we cannot rely on? The media have to look at this seriously because you should not allow politicians to use your airwaves to lie to people. We should continue to put politicians in check. That is how the media can be themed as development agents or partners in development. You should not allow someone to say I put up and hospital here and then there is no hospital yet you are keeping quiet. Why should you? Name and shame politicians who are dishonest”

Meanwhile, the NDC has refuted claims by Vice President Bawumia, that the Akufo-Addo administration has fulfilled 78% of its 2016 manifesto promises, up from the 72% earlier stated.

He is quoted to have said, “In all, we made 388 promises in our manifesto. The most recent validation exercise at the end of January 2019 shows that we had delivered or are delivering on 303, 78 percent of the promises, up from the 72 percent reported earlier.”

But addressing the media at the NDC’s weekly press briefing on the theme; “NPP 2016 manifesto in perspective: claims, deception and reality”, MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto, insisted that per the party’s research, the ruling government barely scored 20%.

Per the NDC’s research, ruling government made 631 manifesto promises not 388 as earlier touted by the Vice President.

Ablakwa indicated that the cumulative performance of the Akufo-Addo-led government in achieving its promises rather hovers around 14% not 78%.