Julius Debrah
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) appears to have pressed a self-destruct bottom when Julius Debrah, an aide to its 2020 Presidential Candidate, John Mahama, issued a statement suggesting the Asante king, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II lied to the whole world at the UN Peace Forum in the US.
The King had indicated that he had to intervene before Mr. Mahama could concede defeat to then opposition candidate, President Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2016 Presidential election.
But Mr. Debrah hurriedly issued a statement, countering the claim of the Asante King who is highly revered amongst his people.
That has angered the Asante Youth Association.
The Association has therefore condemned the NDC for what they described as attempts to use their ‘political gains’ to destroy the Asante Kingdom.
The Director of Operations for the Association, Nana Oppong Boadu, called on former President John Mahama to dissociate himself from the press statement released by Mr. Debrah.
He warned that failure to retract the statement and apologize within 48 hours will have dire consequences for John Mahama and the NDC in the Ashanti Region.
“We are giving John Mahama 48 hours to come and retract that he didn’t instruct Julius Debrah to issue that statement. Other than that we are going to make the Ashanti Kingdom a hostile place for himself and his party,” Nana Oppong Boadu stated.
He observed that “it is very sad that the king has raised the bar and the flag of Ghana and Asanteman and this is how we are paying back. Even if the King erred, this is not the way the NDC should have responded because we have all seen the role the Asantehene has played in our elections, we have seen it. The King has played so many roles in our democratic dispensation, we cannot allow the NPP or the NDC to use their political gains to destroy our kingdom.”
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu, has berated Mr. Debrah for issuing the statement that has embarrassed Otumfuo.
Mr. Boadu explained that Mr. Debrah’s comments have no factual basis and cannot be substantiated.
He said the statement from the former Chief of Staff must be disregarded by the generality of the Ghanaian people.
BY Melvin Tarlue