Mahama using Chief of Staff because he’s desperate for power – Ayikoi Otoo

A former Attorney General and a private legal practitioner, lawyer Ayikoi Otoo has questioned why the presidential administration including the Chief of Staff is on the campaign train campaigning for President John Dramani Mahama.

According to him, activities at the presidency are at a standstill because the Chief of Staff has joined the campaign trail. He wondered why the Chief of Staff who generally administers the ministers will abandon his work and join the campaign. In his view, it would have been better for the Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, to have stayed behind to work.

Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo opined that because the NDC is desperate for power, they are currently trying to do all possible to win although it’s obvious they will lose. The former minister in the erstwhile Kufour administration was also surprised that the president and his NDC are desperately campaigning when they have bragged of winning the election in the first round because of their so-called achievements.

‘’What is dragging the Chief of Staff himself to also rush and join the campaign? We were in this country when the president said he was accounting to the people, and he travelled the length and breadth of this country and he published his green book which they gave a lot of airtime to. Are they not sufficient for them? At a point, they started touting that they will win one touch.

What has changed? And why has this desperation set in...He [President Mahama] claims he has done so much work which will see him in his second term, so he should relax,’’ and allow his achievements win him the election.’’ Lawyer Ayikoi Otoo further chided the NDC administration is abusing incumbency with the Chief of Staff and other appointees using helicopters to campaign.

When asked if he was not picking on the NDC over its style of campaign whereas his own party NPP is also campaigning actively, the lawyer questioned if the opposition party is equally using state resources like the incumbent is doing. He said, ‘’those are going around do they use helicopter? Do you know where they get the helicopters from? The helicopter is there to serve the president in the Republic of Ghana but he is using it for campaign.

In America, and the rest, if you do those things you have to pay, for them. And I am saying that, for me there is too much desperation on their part. Everybody somewhere is running around...The Chief of Staff could have stayed behind when his president is always out on the field to ensure smooth administration, instead of him jumping onto the bung wagon of campaigning.

You have to manage these things but the president is out there and the vice is also out and the next in command who is charge of administration is also out. Why are they so desperate? What is it they are looking for? Nobody can be left behind. Everybody should be seen running around, using our helicopter and money..I think there is desperation on their part,’’ he lamented.

On his part the member of the NDC legal team lawyer Abraham Amaliba thinks, the various set of campaign and the figures involved shows a united party and stated Nana Addo is not fit for campaign since he is currently engaging in a ‘one campaign tour , one London’ therefore can’t stand the president and defeat is stirring them in the face.

‘’That shows a united party. We’ve not even added the parliamentary candidates and foot soldiers who are also leading campaigns in the various areas. Secondly it shows a party that does not take the people for granted, compared to our opponents-Their main focus or their head arrow is Nana Akufo Addo. Now what do we see about Nana Addo? One Campaign Tour, One London.

It shows that he is not even fit for the presidency, because the job of the presidency is more difficult than the campaign. So if you cannot sustain a campaign, can you sustain the presidency? Whoever is having a problem with our mode of campaign, is doing so because he has seen that we have deployed all our asserts and defeat is stirring them in the face.

So that person wants us to be disunited, and disorganized as they are...As for that we will continue to do it and tell the people of Ghana that we are not taking them for granted. It shows that we are a united party.

And you call this an act of desperation? Who told them to drive away their leading members? Where are those who helped Kufour to win the 2008 elections, where are they today?’’

Meanwhile a governance expert, Kwame Boadi finds nothing wrong with the campaign train from the presidency but expressed disappointment in the politics of insult and the use of a candidate’s health in the campaign. He described it as cheap political talk and admonished politicians to desist from that and rather focus on their campaign message.