Presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, is of the view that a vote for the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming December 7 polls will be disastrous for the country’s future.
His reason is that a vote for “Bawumia will be a disastrous third term for Akufo-Addo and his corrupt friends and family administration.”
For him, many Ghanaians are demanding accountability of the stewardship of the Akufo-Addo-led administration and that can be obtained only when Ghanaians hand over power to the NDC government.
“This is not a quest for witch-hunting but a genuine desire by Ghanaians to see public officers held to account for the public trust in them. Fighting corruption requires courage and principle,” he said, adding “I am determined to cure the canker of corruption in our country.”
Mr. Mahama made these comments during a governance forum in Accra on Thursday evening, October 31, 2024.
Dubbed: “Resetting Ghana for good governance and accountability”, the forum offered the NDC’s leader the opportunity to speak on various issues affecting the country’s governance system.
For Mr Mahama, “Corruption is intertwined with bad governance and represents a manifestation of carefully crafted schemes by government appointees, their families, and friends to benefit their narrow, selfish needs.”
That, he noted, he will ensure meritorious appointments and allow the systems for transparency and accountability to work in an unfettered space.
My dear friends and fellow Ghanaians, the John Mahama and Naana Jane NDC government will adhere to the substantive constitutional expectation of Separation of Powers to allow for checks and balances,” he stated, adding “We will adequately resource independent constitutional bodies, revitalise media freedoms, and hold regular stakeholder engagements and presidential media encounters in the Flagstaff House.”
He was of the view that many of the corrupt acts practically benefits the ruling government, saying “Think about the PDS and SML scandals, Agyapa and others. Think about Databank, which belongs to the then Minister for Finance, the president’s cousin, who is profiting from our national debt.”
He added, “Let’s go further and consider the COVID-19 expenditure and SPUTNIK-V scandals, in which people who were voted to protect our interests decided to profit from the pandemic. The list is endless.
While you think about these acts of corruption—I have not even mentioned the $58 million National Cathedral scandal—let us ask ourselves, what has happened to the perpetrators? Impunity prevails when corruption goes unchecked and unpunished, and the country is consigned to hardships. This is how corruption has led to the hardships Ghanaians are suffering today,” Mr Mahama stated.