Friday, November 23, 2012

Nana Addo’s performance was abysmal; Leave Ayariga alone – Felix Kwakye




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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