President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did not back down as he fired trolls at former President John Dramani Mahama following the former's criticism of his appointment to the judiciary at the 2023 Ghana Bar Association (GBA) Conference on September 11, 2023.
The GBA has come out to criticise President Akufo-Addo, saying it was not appropriate for him to use their platform to make political statements.
But Akufo-Addo’s comments were more than just political statements. In fact, the comments were more of an attack on the former president, some have said.
Even though the former president has not reacted to Akufo-Addo’s remarks, his aide, Joyce Bawah Mogtari has described them as “an outright useless comment from a president”.
Here are the four ‘bullets’ Akufo-Addo fired at Mahama:
Government Official One in Airbus scandal
Despite Mahama’s insistence that he is not involved in the Airbus scandal which made news headlines in 2020, Akufo-Addo suggested that he was the “Government Official One” label in the scandal.
He said Mahama’s Mahama’s suggestion of appointing NDC judges in order to 'balance the bench' is a danger to Ghana and a reason for the former president, “whom the first Special Prosecutor identified as Government Official No.1, in the still unresolved Airbus Bribery Scandal”, not to return to power.
The former president has challenged the Official of the Special Prosecutor to prosecute him if it thinks he is involved in the scandal but this has not happened.
Perennial NDC presidential candidate
Akufo-Addo mocked Mahama’s bid to return to power by referring to him as the “perennial NDC presidential candidate”.
The former president has been the presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in three elections, 2012, 2016, and 2020.
He has, however, won just one of these elections, the 2012 elections, and will be representing the NDC again in the 2024 elections.
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Allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic
Akufo-Addo went as far as casting doubts on the former president's loyalty to the country by describing Mahama as “an allegedly responsible politician of the 4th Republic” because of his suggestion that the court must be balanced by the next NDC government.
Extremely dangerous comments by Mahama
The president said that Mahama’s suggestion that the courts must be balanced because they are currently filled with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) members is treacherous.
“Not only are these concepts of “NPP” and “NDC” judges new in our public discourse, but they are also extremely dangerous, and represent the most brazen attack on the independence of the judiciary,” he said.
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