The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described as “petty” and “reckless”, claims by former President John Mahama’s office that the government and the NPP were behind a petition filed at the Special Prosecutor’s Office by four private Ghanaian citizens to have the former leader probed over the alleged diversion of $13 million meant for development of the Western Region.

The party said it has no knowledge about the said petition nor has it instructed anyone to file same on its behalf.

“The NPP is utterly shocked at these claims being made by the former president, who for all intents and purposes, ought to have risen above such pettiness and recklessness, having had the rare opportunity to occupy the highest political office in the country,” the party said in a statement.

Responding to another claim that Mr Mahama, unlike President Nana Akufo-Addo, was incorruptible, the NPP said: “We find this as, perhaps, the biggest joke of the century that will see every Ghanaian laughing. Need we remind them of how synonymous the name, John Mahama had become with corruption? Need we remind them that John Mahama superintended over the worst corrupt regime in the history of this country, where on daily basis, Ghanaians were greeted with one form of corruption scandal or another?”

Below is the full NPP statement:

NPP REPLIES FORMER PRESIDENT JOHN MAHAMA OVER HIS CLAIM OF INCORRUPTIBILITY AND UNPROVOKED ATTACK ON THE PERSON OF HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT AKUFO-ADDO

The attention of the NPP has been drawn to a statement purportedly emanating from the Office of Former President John Mahama and said to be a response to a petition filed by some four citizens of Ghana at the Office of the Special Prosecutor to investigate the Former President for alleged diversion of $13 million meant for the development of the Western Region by the E.O group of company as part of their corporate social responsibilities.

In the former President's response to this petition, as contained in a Press Statement signed by his Special Aide, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, it was claimed that, "the said petition is another orchestrated but failed attempt by the NPP government to divert attention from the numerous corruption scandals suffocating it". Their Statement further alleges that, "Former President John Mahama, unlike President Nana Akufo-Addo, is incorruptible".

The NPP is utterly shocked at these claims being made by the Former President, who for all intents and purposes, ought to have risen above such pettiness and recklessness, having had the rare opportunity to occupy the highest political office in the country. Even though the party would ordinarily not respond to such pettiness, we are nonetheless minded to do so because of the reverence we accord the office of a Former President.

First of all, the party has absolutely no knowledge about the said petition nor has it instructed anyone to file same on its behalf. But, as a party that believes in good governance and holds unwavering commitment to the fight against corruption, we would, on any day, encourage citizens to, in exercise of their civic rights, report cases of wrongdoing and alleged corruption to the appropriate statutory bodies for proper investigations. This is what President Akufo-Addo and the NPP have always stood for and we have no apologies.

On their second claim about Mahama, rather than Akufo-Addo, being incorruptible, we find this as perhaps, the biggest joke of the century that will see every Ghanaian laughing. Need we remind them of how synonymous the name, John Mahama had become with corruption? Need we remind them that John Mahama superintended over the worst corrupt regime in the history of this country, where on daily basis, Ghanaians were greeted with one form of corruption scandal or another?

Need we remind them of the GYEEDAs, the SADAs, the SUBAs, the Amajaros, the Smarttys, the Brazil World Cup scandals, the Woyomes, the Isofotons, the Watervilles, the Fortives, the Kanazoes [where Mahama accepted a "bride" of a Ford Expedition from a Burkinabe contractor]? Need we remind John Mahama of the uncountable corruption scandals, most of which he personally supervised during his tenure? Need we remind John Mahama that one of the reasons for his unprecedented electoral humiliation at the 2016 polls was because of his personal involvement in a lot of these corruption scandals?

It is pretty obvious from the foregoing that, Joyce Bawah Mogtari only sought to ridicule Former President Mahama by suggesting in the statement that he is incorruptible. How can somebody who eats and drinks corruption be said to be incorruptible? Certainly, this, cannot even be told the marines. We encourage the Office of the Former President to rather respond directly to the serious allegations made against him in the said petition and not engage in these red-herrings and unprovoked attacks.

President Akufo-Addo, on the other hand, has, all his life, both in private and in public service, never been accused or alleged to have been involved in any act of corruption. He is by far, the only politician in our recent history to have boldly said that, "I, Nana Akufo-Addo, am not corrupt; I have never been corrupt and I shall demand same of all my appointees".

And indeed, for all the corruption allegations levelled against his appointees by surrogates of the NDC, President Akufo-Addo had ensured that they were all thoroughly investigated notwithstanding their frivolity.

That is a mark of an incorruptible leader which we never saw in John Mahama, who would rather offer promotion to such appointees to reassigning them to the Office of the President to help advance their corrupt enterprises. Ghana has certainly moved on and we cannot afford to go through the corrupt Mahama experience any more.

Forward, we move. Thank you. ...Signed... JOHN BOADU General Secretary (Ag)