The Mahama 2024 Campaign has criticised the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Ghana over the announcement of a presidential debate for the 2024 elections.
On July 17, the IEA announced its plans to organise Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debates leading up to Ghana’s 2024 General Elections.
According to the IEA, these debates aim to foster issue-based elections by providing a platform for candidates to discuss various aspects of the nation’s development process.
In a statement signed by Joyce Bawa Mogtari, the spokesperson for John Mahama, she expressed strong disapproval of the IEA’s announcement, stating that it is unacceptable for the IEA to make such an announcement without first engaging the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“The Constitution of Ghana does not grant the IEA any authority to organise elections-related activities. The fact that the IEA has not shown the decency or respect to at least inform the NDC of its plans raises serious questions about its motives. The IEA is clearly acting as a front for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and seeks to manipulate the electoral process in favour of the ruling party.
“It is important to remind the IEA and the Ghanaian public that the NDC, led by our presidential candidate John Drarnani Mahama and running mate Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, has been engaging with the citizenry for many years. Mahama’s online and offline conversations have targeted a wide range of audiences and focused on addressing the needs and concerns of the people of Ghana.
“Our well-planned engagements with various sectors of society across the country have been and continue to be extremely beneficial to the people of Ghana. This being the case, we caution the IEA against using the NDC’s name to promote their activities, as this is a blatant attempt to misrepresent our party deliberately,” the statement added.
Below is the full statement from the Mahama Campaign Team