Former President, John Mahama has fully expressed gratitude to the youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress, who stormed his residence with weapons with aim of shedding blood of pro-government political grouping, #FixingTheCountry.
The armed NDC suspected thugs on Thursday stormed the flag bearer residence at Cantonments following an earlier notice from the Leader of the #FixingTheCountry movement, Ernest Owusu Bempah, who two months ago served notice to the Police to storm the office of the former President for picketing over the Airbus scandal.
However, the group called off the picketing based on a directive from the National Security Ministry, which the NDC youth were disappointed.
Mahama Endorsement
However, Mr. Mahama who once said no political party can unleash beat the NDC when it comes to the violent in a statement through his aide, Joyce Bawah Mogtari said “John Dramani Mahama wishes to convey his gratitude and appreciation to members of the public and particularly the Greater Accra Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), for the love, support, and commitment to defending his strong and incorruptible character”.
“Ayekoo to the young people including women who converged at the Cantonments office on Thursday to solidarise with John Mahama in the face of what was a misguided attempt by elements sponsored by the leadership of the NPP to picket around the office”.
“Mr. Mahama also notes that the Ministry of National Security decided to intervene and stop the advertised picketing. It is most regrettable that amid the excruciating hardship and the suffering brought upon Ghanaians by the NPP government, they would rather find it necessary to dabble in bizarre and inexplicable antics over a so-called Airbus matter, which has long been laid to rest and over which Mr. Mahama has absolutely no questions to answer”.
The statement further noted that the needless aborted picketing was designed to divert attention from the mismanagement of the economy, the public’s frustration with hunger and high costs of living, and the citizenry’s anger with the daily reports and evidence of high-level corruption sanctioned by the Presidency.
“It must be placed on record that Mr. Mahama has never been accused of, or investigated for, any involvement or wrongdoing of any sort by either the UK or US authorities about Airbus. Indeed, neither the Ghanaian government nor any other authority anywhere in the world has any evidence of wrongdoing against him”.
“The Serious Fraud Office of the United Kingdom has long announced their discontinuation of the Airbus case due to lack of evidence. It is also a matter of record that there has been no breach of Ghana’s procurement laws or any other law in the processes leading to the purchase of the aircraft under the reference,” the statement noted.
It continues “It has also been revealed that due to the competent negotiations by officials of the Ghana Armed Forces’ Technical Negotiating Team, the aircraft were purchased at a price lower than the prevailing market price at the time. Mr. Mahama will not be distracted by the NPP or any political shenanigans.
He remains focused on engaging the people e of Ghana on his plans to revitalize the economy to create more opportunities and decent well-paying jobs in a 24-hour economy for the youth and the Ghanaian people.
“He is also poised to carry out far-reaching governance including anti-corruption and constitutional reforms to meet the aspirations and expectations of Ghanaians” Joyce Bawah Mogtari said in the statement.
Reasons
The picketing dubbed #ChaseJMKronoAirbus had been scheduled from Thursday, 16 November to Thursday, 23 November 2023.
However, in a bid to shed blood, the Greater Accra Regional Youth Organiser of the NDC, Amorse Blessing Amos also threatened to kill any member of the #FixingThe Country Movement if they dared visit the office of former President John Mahama to embark on any protest against the NDC flagbearer.
The NDC Youth Organiser after days with the statement from Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah also issued a statement and urged the party members to come along with weapons, such as; matchets, shovels, hoes, pick axes among other sharp objects to clean the residence of the former President on that day.
The statement issued by Amorse Amos noted that “This statement goes as a warning or whatever they may want to call it, to Owusu Bempah and whoever he may be planning this with, that they should not dare come closer to His Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s office. If he and his lapdogs are men, they should make any silly attempt around that office”.
According to him, if Owusu Bempah and his group remain nonchalant and attempt anything close to what they have announced, they should pay for their coffins and graves before they come.
“We would have no issue if Owusu Bempah and his idling hirelings in the NPP want to express their revulsion against their own failed Akufo Addo/Bawumia government for its inability to stamp out corruption. We are, however, averse to attempts by the so-called group to draw His Excellency John Dramani Mahama into the misgovernance of the present administration”.
“The group, if indeed it exists, and its leader, may have a right to demonstrate, but that right must not be exercised in a reckless, illogical, and smoke-induced manner” he noted.
Thereafter, scores of the NDC members took to social media to display their weapons and threatened to harm any member of the FixTheCountry group that came to the NDC flagbearer’s office.
The action of the NDC members sparked public concerns on social media, who were asking National Security to intervene as a matter of urgency before it turns into a bloodbath.
To fulfill the evil agenda, the members of the party across the country were bussed on Thursday storming the office of former President John Mahama who is currently out of Accra to face the group in case they show up.
But after getting disappointed, that the group didn’t show up, the members took pictures of themselves, displaying their weapons on social media with threatening captions.
Interestingly, none of them were seen either weeding or cleaning the office of the former President, rather were seen displaying weapons, taking pictures, drinking minerals, and chanting war songs.
In a series of posts and videos, the organisers of the NDC members were heard asking the members to display their weapons which the party members were seen raising them in the air, as they were heard chanting and calling names with insults.
Owusu Bempah in his earlier petition said Mr. Mahama was implicated in the Airbus SE scandal but appears to be left off the hook despite the Office of the Special Prosecutor indicating the outfit’s effort to investigate the matter.
-BY Daniel Bampoe