Why is the party in government begging for a presidential debate? – Agbodza asks

The Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, Kwame Governs Agbodza, has questioned why members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are calling for a debate between their flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama.

Leading figures of the NPP have said that former President Mahama is afraid of debating Dr. Bawumia because he fears he will be badly 'beaten.'

The NPP flagbearer, who is also the Vice President of the Republic, has himself said that Mahama is avoiding a debate with him out of fear of being exposed.

"I am looking forward to a debate with John Mahama on the economy and governance, but he is running away from a debate. His people say he doesn’t want to debate because he knows that I will expose the emptiness of his policies.

"He claims to have a 24-hour economy policy that he cannot explain. It is as empty as an empty barrel. None of his people can explain it, and they even say they will be exporting lions and elephants," he said at a campaign event at Nalerigu on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.

Reacting to the calls for the debate, Kwame Agbodza, who is the Member of Parliament for Adaklu, in a post shared on X on Friday, July 12, 2024, wondered why the government is calling for a debate.

He explained that opposition political parties usually call for such debates to challenge the government's performance and not the other way round.

"Very STRANGE. A party in government BEGGING for a debate with the OPPOSITION," he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, handlers of the NDC flagbearer have dismissed the calls for a debate by the NPP.

Joyce Bawah Mogtari, a spokesperson for former President John Dramani Mahama, said the former president's main opponent, Dr. Bawumia, has failed to justify the merit for a debate.

"When I look at what we have, when I look at the current trajectory, when I look at the failings of this particular administration, I ask myself why we need to engage in a debate. But of course, these are decisions that the higher-ups usually make; it’s not my decision to make. As the conversations and debates progress, maybe eventually some discussions will come up, and perhaps that will happen," she stated.

It is left to see whether or not such a debate will ever happen before the December 7, 2024, elections.

BAI/AE

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