Former President John Dramani Mahama
THE NEW Patriotic Party has called on former President John Dramani Mahama to also show the video on the killing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) member in Kumasi to the diplomatic community just as he did in the case of the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election shootings.
NDC’s Wasihu Idrisu was killed on Monday February 18 in Kumasi at the party’s headquarters when the leadership of the NDC including its National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia had gone there to settle some internal party conflict.
One other person was also allegedly shot by members of the NDC’s vigilante group “the Hawks.”
It would be recalled that on Wednesday, February 13, 2019, former president Mahama hosted the Diplomatic Community at the Peduase Lodge in Aburi to present the NDC’s position on the Ayawaso Shooting.
He showed a series of videos during the meeting, claiming that some persons in one of the videos were hoodlums linked to the NPP and captured on the video at the funeral of the ruling party’s late Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.
And just like he did in the case of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, the NPP wants him to also meet the diplomats again to show them the video on the violence in the NDC.
Communications Director of the NPP, Yaw Boabeng Asamoah told journalists on Tuesday that “It would be interesting to see if the former President is bold and humble enough to apologies and or show videos of the violence in his party to the international community, knowing that in the case of NDC violence there is a confirmed death whilst rumours of several deaths in Ayawaso West Wuogon spread by the NDC proved to be untrue.”
He said at the press conference held at the NPP’s headquarters in Accra that instead of approaching state institutions like the Ghana Police Service over the Ayawaso incident, the former president rather opted to meet the diplomatic community.
According to him, “but lest we forget, the former Presidents’ disrespect for our institutions of law and security go way back.”
He added that “he (Mahama) refused to attend the Supreme Court hearing of the 2013 Election Petition and then turned round to blame his abysmal failures of governance on the hearing.”
According to him, “immediate instance of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election demonstrates this. Whilst the President condemned the violence, John Mahama encouraged violence, threatening ‘boot for boot’ and claiming superiority in the use of violence. When the President responded to public concern with a Commission of Inquiry, John Mahama rubbished the eminent persons and chose to peddle cheap falsehoods to the diplomatic community.”
Commenting on the NDC’s call to the police to investigate the killing of Idrisu, he said “in the light of the above context, we ask the NDC to strengthen its new found faith in the Police by extending it to an unequivocal endorsement of the Commission.”
He added “if that happens, stakeholders across the governance landscape in conjunction with the major parties can then encourage the Commission to spread its tentacles wide and draw conclusions capable of dealing with the trend of political blackmail once and for all. The voting public is thirsty for workable solutions and NDC flip flopping between police and commission as it suits their political agenda cannot be credible or attractive.”
BY Melvin Tarlue