General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has said Nana Akufo-Addo’s woeful leadership qualities means he will bungle in office even if he were to be made a District Chief Executive (DCE).

General Mosquito, as the NDC Secretary has been nicknamed, said the unrest in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which Mr Akufo-Addo is leader, was testament that his election as president would not bode well for the nation.

The NPP in 2015 suspended three of its national executives – Chairman Paul Afoko, General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong, and Second Deputy Chairman Sammy Crabbe – for working against the interests of Mr Akufo-Addo as flagbearer. Factionalism within the party has seen two of its members murdered as a result. Adams Mahama, who was the Upper East Regional Chairman, died after an acid attack on him allegedly by a brother of Mr Afoko, Gregory. In November 2015, Abubakar Saddiq was also stabbed multiple times to his death by persons believed to be affiliated to Mr Afoko.

Mr Asiedu Nketia, in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM’s morning show, Ghana Yensom, on Tuesday May 17, said: “Nana Addo has never been president. His only presidency has been to lead his party. But even in leading the party, his deeds within the party, to which his own party members attest… mean that even if he is made DCE, there will be trouble in this country. If you make Nana Addo DCE, there will be trouble in the district.”

Mr Nketia also accused Mr Akufo-Addo’s running mate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, of making a lot of false statements. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a week ago, called for Finance Minister Seth Terkper’s resignation for depositing $250 million of the $1bn Eurobond cash, meant for the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), into a UBA account, a move he said was at odds with the country’s financial laws. But Mr Terkper, reacted to Dr Bawumia’s allegations by defending his actions and insisting he would not leave office.

“Bawumia has been stripped. Instead of Bawumia coming out to apologise for what he said, he’s going about adding to the lies. So, if, with this attitude, you ascend the presidency, it will be bad news for the country,” General Mosquito asserted.

He explained that the Minister of Finance took out the money meant for GIIF to buy bonds as the Fund was not operational. He said the government saw it financially prudent to invest it in bonds to earn some interest.

“GIIF has not finished with its work and the money has been sitting there for two years, accruing no interest. Then they take it out to go invest it with another bank, and you come and say that the NDC has stashed the money somewhere to use for its campaign. There has been the explanation that there has not been any storing of money for campaign. Instead of saying sorry for that untruth, you are going about quoting banking laws. Is it true that we have stashed some money somewhere for campaign? If it is not so, then come out and apologise. But he is going about adding to the lies. If he lies and is exposed, then he jumps on to another lie,” the former Wenchi West MP lamented.

He said Dr Bawumia should point his accusing fingers rather in the direction of his own party and find answers to why Mr Akufo-Addo had, in connivance with some NPP members, diverted party funds into a secret Ecobank account for his use.

“He is not even in charge of the country; he is only leading a party. You have gone for party funds to open a secret account from which only you can withdraw, something party members have risen against. Your response has only been: ‘Go and beat them,’” he accused Akufo-Addo.