Vice President Alieu Mahama has been issued a deadline to disclose the identity of an official of the University of Development Studies, whom he allegedly instructed to scuttle a congregation to honour former President Rawlings.

In his first public reaction since issuing the controversial annulment of the congregation, Council Chairman for (UDS) Daniel Gyimah denied being instructed to do so by the Vice President.

But the former President?s aide Victor Smith insists that the vice president instructed Mr. Gyimah to scuttle the event.

He told Joy News he stands by his allegation.

? I want the Vice President to swear on the Quran and tell Ghanaians that he did not make a phone call to some prominent person of the university advising him to cancel the event. He put in a phone call; I put it to him that he called a highly placed person to cancel the event. I want to give him time actually tell the truth, the truth has to be told, there is no good reason for what happened because what the chairman is saying now is untenable? he said

Mr. Smith accused the Vice President of embarrassing government by maintaining his silence over the matter and also dismissed Mr. Gyimah?s claim in an earlier interview with Joy Fm in which he denied speaking to the national co-ordinator about concerns over national security.

? I am just giving the vice president enough time to say that he did it for a good reason but because he knows that he had bonded and has messed up the government?s name in the process, he is deliberately hiding behind the scenes and they are pushing the poor Gyimah to come and say things that he doesn?t even believe in. The man is lying and they are not giving him a decent information to tell a decent lie.? He said.