The spokesperson for the 2020 campaign team of the National Democratic Congress, James Agyenim Boateng, has dismissed calls for the flagbearer of the party, John Mahama, to apologise for sharing an article that described some members within government as a ‘sakawa’ group.

Mr Agyenim Boateng in an interview on Starr News said attempts to deliberately misinterpret the statement is mischievous and unfortunate.

Mr. Mahama’s sharing of an article by Bolga Central Member of Parliament Isaac Adongo on Facebook in which he labelled some individuals in government involved in the controversial Agyapa deal as ‘Sakawa-Akyem boys’ has sparked uproar among members of the ruling New Patriotic Party and other groups.

A group calling itself the Concerned Citizens of Okyeman on Wednesday demonstrated at Asamankese in the Eastern region against former President John Mahama over the ‘Akyem Sakawa’ tag.

The demonstrators clad in red and black wearing armband and headgear hoisted several placards with various inscriptions such as “divisive NDC, JM you have lost our respect, Name-calling; Akyems can do worse please, NDC and JM where are your policies, we Akyems will no longer stand for this, Let’s reject JM and NDC and its bigotry”.

But speaking on the Campaiagn Trail on Starr FM on Wednesday, Mr Agyenim Boateng said the demonstration is a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the party’s manifesto.

“The point that Adongo made was that certain people close to the President are involved in some shady deal. There’s no apology to render because Mr. Mahama has not used the word being attributed to him.

“Those demanding an apology need to show they are members of government and also need to show they are behind the shady deal. This is a deliberate attempt to overshadow the NDC manifesto and we can clearly see through.”