Mahama can't hire taxis to move around- Asiedu Nketia

General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said President John Dramani Mahama cannot hire a taxi to move around as long as he remains the president of the nation.

According to him, the President is entitled to drive in state vehicles everywhere he chooses to go irrespective of the purpose of his movement.

He made this point to defuse the assertion that the president is abusing incumbency with his “Accounting to the People” tour.

Opposition parties in Ghana, especially, the New Patriotic Party have accused the president of taking undue advantage of his position to campaign with state resources.

But according to the NDC Chief Scribe, it is very impossible for any president seeking a re-election not to move around the country without state vehicles.

Speaking on TV 3’s news analyses programme “Agenda” hosted by Matilda Asante Asiedu on Saturday, Asiedu Nketia stated that what must be avoided is when a ruling party takes over the media space at the expense of opposition parties.

According to him, this is an epitome of incumbency abuse that must not be countenanced but not when the president moves around in state vehicles.

“The same government that is being accused of incumbency advantage is being accused of not protecting the people,” he said. Adding that, “when anything goes wrong in the election the same government being accused of incumbency advantage will be blamed for not being proactive.”

But the Acting General Secretary for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu maintained that what President Mahama is doing is abuse of incumbency.

According to him, although there are no clear guidelines measuring the usage of state resources by the president seeking to be re-elected “people should have conscience in the use of state resources.”