Nana Akufo-Addo and President John Mahama
President John Mahama’s turnaround decision on a presidential debate is set to come to pass after all.
Behind the scene manouvres are said to have been mounted on the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) to factor in a presidential debate and redo their timetable, having done unexpected alterations earlier when the president and his managers denigrated the think-tank and turned their back on the debate series.
A provisional timetable from the think-tank suggests that a presidential debate would be held, all things being equal, at Tamale on November 8, 2016 to be followed by the vice presidential segment on November 15, 2016 (a verbal bout which would pitch Dr. Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) counterpart, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia) – two economists who have engaged in occasional spats on the management of the economy.
This is scheduled to take place at Takoradi in the Western Region.
A second presidential encounter is scheduled to take place on November 22, 2016 which is set to crown them all.
Sources have hinted DAILY GUIDE about how President Mahama needs such a debate to shore up his electoral chances, having earlier denigrated the foremost think-tank credited with organizing such encounters over the years.
The debates are themed, “Re-enforcing the Pillars of Ghana’s Democracy.”
A South African consultant reportedly engaged in assisting President Mahama in a campaign in which he (Mahama) seems to be cornered, is said to have counseled him to insist on a presidential debate.
Although the president appears no longer averse to the IEA hosting the programme, his Communications Minister, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, is still maintaining the stance of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) that he stays away from a presidential encounter organized by the IEA and rather look at the direction of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) – where leakage of questions could not be ruled out.
Jean Mensa, IEA Executive Director, is reported to have said that Dr Omane Boamah failed to discuss modalities for the debate with IEA as contained in a correspondence written by the president’s secretary.
“…Although we haven’t received a firm confirmation from the president’s office, we’ve received letters from his office asking us to start discussing modalities with his team. They want us to start discussions. The letters were signed by the secretary to the president asking us to start discussions with the Minister of Communications.”
She explained that several efforts to get the minister to begin the process had been futile.
“…we’ve tried but it’s not been possible and I take it that he’s been busy, but we are still working on it. We’ve initiated some discussions with the party at the party level and we believe that those discussions would be successful,” she added.
It would be recalled that the NDC in June 2016, directed all of its candidates [presidential and parliamentary] not to participate in any debate organized by the IEA ahead of the November (now December) polls.
A statement signed by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, stated that the decision was taken by the NDC’s Functional Executive Committee.