Former President John Dramani Mahama has said the Akufo-Addo administration played ‘sakawa’ game with customers of the collapsed banks and finance companies.

He said the government was not interested in paying the customers until after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had decided to do so in their manifesto for this year’s elections.

The NDC’s flagbearer described the move the pay the customers as ‘a sakawa game’ being played by the government.

The government has announced through the Receiver Eric Nana Nipah that all the customers of the failed finance companies were going to be paid in cash.

But addressing separate rallies in Tuobodom, Krobo, Aworowa and Techiman, all in the Bono East Region over the weekend, Mr Mahama said, “We said in our manifesto that we are going to fully pay these customers, then just recently government told us that they have changed their mind and will fully pay the customers.

“So all these while government had the financial muscle to pay these customers and they were playing Sakawa game with them that they will pay them after five years. Okay, pay them but what about those who are dead because of the agony they went through over their locked up capital?

“Will the government raise them from the dead and pay them and those who are sick and bedridden?” he quizzed.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of the State Transport Company, (STC) Nana Akomea, has said that the government’s decision to pay all customers of the collapsed banks and finance companies was not as a result of a pledge made by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to do so in their manifesto in case they win this year’s elections.

Mr Akomea stated a press conference in Accra on Monday September 21 that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had already decided to resolve the issues of the customers with regards to their lockup funds way ahead of the NDC’s manifesto launch.

The former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South said “ You will recall that President Akufo-Addo had made a statement that the plight of the Ghanaian who has had his moneys locked up in bonds for five years, it has come to his attention and that he was going to make sure that everybody got their money.

“That statement was made before the NDC launched their manifesto.

“At the end of the day what the President will be concerned with is the plight of the Ghanaian and not.”