The campaign team of John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer for the National Democratic Congress, has accused the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) of acting as a proxy for the ruling New Patriotic Party, allegedly manipulating the electoral process to favor their agenda.

Reacting to an earlier announcement by the IEA to conduct presidential and vice-presidential debates between the two political parties, NPP and NDC respectively, spokesperson for the campaign team Joyce Bawah Mogtari, in a statement, said Ghana’s constitution does not grant the IEA the power to organize elections-related activities.

Joyce Bawah described the decision by IEA to make such an announcement without first engaging and consulting the NDC as ‘unacceptable’.

“It is completely unacceptable that the IEA would make such an announcement without engaging or informing the National Democratic Congress, one of the major political parties in Ghana.

“The Constitution of Ghana does not grant the IEA any authority to organize elections-related activities. The fact that the IEA has not shown the decency or respect to at least inform the NDC of its plans raises serious questions about its motives.

“The IEA is clearly acting as a front for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and seeks to manipulate the electoral process in favor of the ruling party,” parts of the statement read.

The statement dismissed the need for a presidential debate, emphasizing the party’s extensive interactions with the people throughout the country.

However, the team cautioned IEA against using the NDC’s name in a blatant attempt to promote their activities.

“It is important to remind the IEA and the Ghanaian public that the NDC, led by our presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama and running mate Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, has been engaging with the citizenry for many years. Mahama's online and offline conversations have targeted a wide range of audiences and focused on addressing the needs and concerns of the people of Ghana.

“Our well-planned engagements with various sectors of society across the country have been and continue to be extremely beneficial to the people of Ghana. In this case, we caution the IEA against using the NDC's name to promote their activities, as this is a blatant attempt to deliberately misrepresent our party,” the statement said.

MAG/OGB