Politics of Wednesday, 30 October 2019

Source: mynewsgh.com

‘Incompetent’ Mahama has grown horns – Odike cautions NPP

Akwasi Addai Odike, founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP) Akwasi Addai Odike, founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP)

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been blamed for the audacity of former President John Dramani Mahama to attempt the Presidency again after his “poor showing” in that position for four years, MyNewsGh.com reports.

According to businessman Akwasi Addai Odike who is also the founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), the snail-pace of government in addressing Ghana’s problems has made Mr Mahama to “grow horns” and harbor false hopes that he could win the 2020 elections.

“What I want to say is that, the NPP is the reason Mahama has grown horns; but by his traits and the trails of bad governance he left in this country, some of us, we are poised to make sure Mahama never returns to the seat of government because his so-called rescue mission was dead on arrival”, he told KT on Angel Fm

He indicated that, the 2020 elections would be a contest of ideas and visions between himself and President Akufo Addo; “that is why I have started in earnest. Mahama is not included; he can never become the President of Ghana again because he has no vision to lead a country, despite his experience as a former President”.

Odike says the fact that Mr Mahama has paraded a 21-member committee to draw his manifesto for the 2020 elections is proof that he has no vision of his own, but seeks to “plagiarize” the ideas of those persons to make them his own.

“Mahama has been a Vice President and a President, but he pretends not to know the challenges facing identifiable groups like the Ghana Medical Association and that is a big shame on himself”, Odike noted.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer for the 2020 Presidential Election, John Dramani Mahama has in recent weeks launched a spirited campaign, ostensibly to change the narrative of “incompetence” against him by capitalizing on the failed promises of the Akufo Addo-led government.

“I think that Ghanaians are more discerning now…after what we’ve all gone through, any politician who comes dangling promises before you, you’ll look at him twice…or, if any politician comes to you and says, Try me’, you’ll turn and run away,” the former president at a meeting with party-faithful in London last week; he made a similar comment at the launch of a 21-member Manifesto Committee in Ghana a week earlier.

“And, so, times are not easy but we want to give our people hope, we’re on a rescue mission: to rescue the fate of our people in their democracy and we are starting that with the manifesto we’ll present; it’ll be a very practical manifesto that incorporates their concerns and we’ll work together and communicate to Ghanaians every step of the way, the implementation of that manifesto.

It will be a realistic manifesto to turn things around and start laying the foundation for the transformation of our country’s economy”, Mr Mahama added.

But Akwasi Addai Odike insists that the fact that he is seeking inputs to his manifesto from other persons including identifiable groups, as he has announced is a clear indication that he has no clear vision to drive the country should he be given a second chance.