I won't insult Mahama back – Akufo-Addo

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said he will not insult President John Mahama back despite the recent jabs hurled at him by the governing party’s presidential nominee.

“He answered during the Greater Accra Region tour when he went to Okaishie. You remember he said in Twi that: ‘President Mahama says I’ve slept, I’ve done this, I’ve done that’, I won’t insult him back, I won’t throw innuendos back at him, I will focus on telling the people what my message is, my message of transformation, my message of job creation, my message of empowering young people…” Nana Akufo-Addo’s Spokesperson Mustapha Hamid said in an interview on Wednesday, 24 August in response to the President’s description of the three-time opposition leader as a “divisive dictator” during a campaign tour of Bimbilla in the Northern Region.

Mr Hamid said Mr Mahama “is going to continue on this trajectory maybe that is why he wants the Montie 3 out so they can come and take over from him …”

“We [NPP] will continue to focus on the message… I’m being very honest with you, I will be very excited if he continues on this trajectory, I will be very sad if he discontinues his attacks on Nana Addo. Let him continue,” Mr Hamid told Richard Dela Sky on Eye Witness News on Accra-based Citi FM.

Addressing supporters of the NDC in Bimbilla on Tuesday August 23, Mr Mahama said: “What we need in Ghana is an understanding president. The era of dictatorship is gone: we are not looking for a dictator, somebody who cannot stand criticism in his own party. If you criticise him, he will sack you…that is not the kind of leader we are looking for. We are looking for a leader who can bring people together," he stressed in reference to the flag bearer of the main opposition party.

“...It is a very dangerous experiment. Ghana is not at the stage where we are experimenting leadership, and so you cannot come and beg that we should try you. We are not in the era of experiments and trials, we are in the era of what is sure. We have seen this government: one of the major successes of this government is peace and stability.

“We are looking for a leader who can unite Ghana and not a leader who will divide Ghana. If you cannot unite your own party, how do you unite a nation?" he questioned.