Policy and education think tank Imani Africa has endorsed the invitation by the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) to have a presidential debate between their flagbearersformer President John Mahama and President Akufo-Addo.
Founder of the institution said a debate between these candidates will help set the records straight on the brewingarguments from parties taking credit for a project to its significance, the resources involved and other broader issues.
“There are very important questions that we also need answers to, the value for money asked questions and the resource envelope – where the money will be coming from for all these initiatives that the two parties have undertaken,” Franklin Cudjoe said.
Mr Cudjoe’s remarks comes after the Ndc’s flagbearer, John Mahama‘s call for debate between himself and President Akuffo-Addo rejected by government. This development is as a result of a government’s town hall meeting address on infrastructure earlier this week.
According to Mr Cudjoe, the debate must be held to resolve, once and for all, which government has done more for the country in terms of infrastructural development.
Meanwhile, government has mounted a defence against this claim saying that “Ghanaians can see the infrastructure themselves” hence the call for a debate is needless. Some stalwarts in the party insist that the NDC is using this agenda to disrupt government from concentrating on the needs of citizens.
However, Mr Cudjoe said it is not fair for the President’s spokespersons to reject the idea of a debate when he has not formally answered to the request.
“The Akufo-Addo I know does not run from debates. I am sure if he is given the opportunity he will definitely do it.”
He also urged Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to callon the Vice Presidential candidate of the NDC, Prof NaanaJane Opuku Agyemang to a similar debate.
During his tour of the Volta Region, former President John Mahama threw a challenge to President Akuffo-Addo for a debate on the infrastructure records of their respective administrations.
“It is easy to settle this issue of infrastructure. After all, the President said it is going be an election of track records; comparing his track record to my track record. We can settle it easily. Let’s have a debate between the two of us. The two Presidents. Let Nana Akuffo-Addo come and sit down, let me sit down and let’s debate our track records” Mr Mahamachallenged.
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I’m Deborah Aba Narkoah. I’m an avid reader, writer and public speaker.
