A member of the Communications Team of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC), Felix Kwakye Ofosu has blamed the Presidential
candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo Addo, for his poor
performance at the second Institute of Economic Affairs Presidential debate.
He called on NPP functionaries to desist from
attacking the flagbearer of the People’s National Convention, Hassan Ayariga,
who they say was making mockery of the floor of the IEA Presidential encounter.
To him, the main opposition party officials are
venting their spleen on Mr. Ayariga because of the cowardice to admit that
their Presidential candidate, Nana Addo, performed abysmally during the debate.
“We all watched the debate and saw how President
Mahama excelled and Nana goofed so they want some flimsy excuse to cover it up.
The NPP is simply ashamed of the performance of it flagbearer so they are
pointing the gun on Ayariga. They have to stop because Ghanaians know who
performed abysmally. The NPP must stop these unwarranted attacks and deal with
how to get votes for its abysmal performer flagbearer.” he recounted.
Hassan Ayariga has come under harsh criticisms for
his conduct at the recent IEA debate held at the Banquet Hall of the State
House in Accra, on Wednesday.
The opposition NPP accused him of conniving with
NDC to discomfit their Presidential candidate.
They explained that the incessant coughs by Mr.
Ayariga on the IEA platform were an attempt to disrupt and provoke Nana Addo
who according to them, showed a high level of tolerance.
To the NPP, Hassan Ayariga was tasked to distract
the attention of Nana Addo from making a sound delivery during the debate.
Though Mr. Ayariga had earlier attempted to bow out
of the debate due to his ill health, he later reconsidered his decision and
showed up at the second and final IEA Presidential debate which was aimed at
giving Ghanains an opportunity to critique the 2012 Presidential candidates in
order to make informed choices in the elections.
In an interview with Asempa FM on Thursday, Felix
Kwakye-Ofosu nit-picked the opposition NPP for lashing out at the PNC
flagbearer, Hassan Ayariga.
He noted that the purport of a debate is to counter
your opponent and therefore quizzed;
“Where does it state that when one is debating it
cannot question the character or actions of the others? Who says so that if one
has a bad public record the other cannot make it public? Is it Ayariga who told
Nana Addo to declare all-die-be-die, 'yen Akanfour' among others?
Is it Ayariga who asked Nana Addo to be working
with drug addicts or is it Ayariga who told Ken Agyapong to tell people from
other tribes to attack the other. They should spare us those effusions and
solve the character deficiency of its flagbearer. It was a debate, not a
monologue”.
“When Nana Addo was lying at the Tamale debate and
calling President Mahama corrupt, who were his paymasters? Or who influenced
him to describe the late President Mills as 'Professor do little'. The NPP has
just nothing to say.
If Nana Addo was able to call President Mahama
names at the Tamale debate, then Hassan Ayariga has equal right to refer Nana
Addo to his 'all-die-be-die' statement.
He is also a Ghanaian. It is legitimate for him to
attack an opposition where necessary without always attacking a sitting
government.”
Meanwhile, a convener for pressure group Research
and Advocacy Platform (RAP) has commended Hassan Ayariga for taking on Nana
Addo in the debate.
To him, Mr. Ayariga has exposed the duplicitous
nature of the NPP Presidential candidate.
“Nana Addo
cannot be trusted at all because common issues of his CV, he is hiding it from
Ghanaians. I thank Ayariga for exposing him”.
“For a party that has seen clearly that it has lost
a debate I think the most important thing is to look at how to re-strategize
than coming out to heap insults arrogantly at Hassan Ayariga who was being
truthful with the facts. The NPP will definitely lose the elections because
they are arrogant.” he emphasized.
Source: Adu Gyamfi Ameyaw
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