Mahama's wife sharing freebies for votes

The New Patriotic Party has expressed concern about the extent to which the sharing of freebies to the electorate by First Lady Lordina Mahama has been escalated in the run-up to the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Her husband, President John Dramani Mahama, officially began his 2016 campaign in the Western region, Tuesday, with many 'freebies' accompanying him, and being doled out to the electorate.

This has attracted a sharp condemnation from the Ghana Integrity Initiative, whose Executive Director, Linda Ofori Kwafo, says the president's decision to distribute freebies to the electorate is worse than vote buying, especially against the background of the admission by his campaign spokesperson that the items being doled out were purchased with state funds.

Indications are that First Lady Lordina Mahama may also be spending millions of Ghanaian taxpayers' money on doling out gifts to the electorate to buy votes for her husband, according to the New Patriotic Party.

Addressing a press conference yesterday, John Boadu, the party's Acting General Secretary, took issue with the lavish gifts the First Lady is travelling across the country giving out. The gifts include sewing machines, hairdryers, outboard motors, textiles, cash, and many more.

Making allusion to the speech delivered by the president at his campaign launch in Cape Coast, Mr Boadu noted: "The President was silent on why babies are dying in our hospitals because there are no incubators or oxygen. The President did not explain why students in boarding schools are left to starve, whiles his wife, the First Lady, can find money to travel across the country giving away election year goodies."

According to the John Boadu, even though the NPP is not against charity work, "we...have the right to question the timing of the escalation of the First Lady's gifts-sharing expedition and the volume and costs of the gifts being shared."

He recalled that in the last four months to the 2012 elections, some $4 billion dollars that was not budgeted for was taken out of state coffers and spent in a desperate and reckless attempt for President Mahama to hold on to power.

"It seems the script is being repeated, except the characters may be slightly different. Mrs Lordina Mahama has assumed a special role in the 2016 NDC campaign. She is effectively the Chief Director of Gifts," he stated.

The NPP finds it unacceptable that the wife of the President is going round the country with truck loads of goodies and sharing them to the electorate for votes.

"These run into millions of dollars. Ghanaians deserve to know. How much is being spent? Who is paying for it? Where is the money coming from? Is it from our taxes or from friends? Which friends? Are they friends who are also capable of winning contracts to build walls and roads? The First Lady must be transparent and accountable," the NPP is demanding.

Ghana's crisis is Mahama-made

Turning to the state of affairs in the country, Mr Boadu noted that the current crisis being experienced by Ghanaians is the result of President Mahama's ineptitude, weak leadership and direction.

According to him, it therefore comes as no surprise that 70% of Ghanaians are convinced that Ghana will be in serious trouble if President John Mahama is given another 4 years to run the country.

Mr Boadu expressed regrets about the fact that the NDC government, after taking over a country which was on the verge of economic take-off, had reversed the nation's clock of development.

"This is how wasted the last 8 years have been under President Mahama. President John Agyekum Kufuor and the NPP left behind a nation with a small, manageable debt of GH¢9.2 billion, free from any IMF programme, a fast-growing economy, boasting a vibrant financial sector, a booming agriculture, and about to produce oil. Yes, Ghana in 2009 was a nation with a confident, healthy people, who were very excited about a future of fantastic possibilities," he said.

But these good economic indicators, the party insists, have been reduced to shreds due to the NDC's unprecedented mismanagement, corruption, lack of vision and mediocrity.