Who Wins Elections 2016?

RAWLINGS FEARS FOR MAHAMA

Says Akufo-Addo "is not known for messing around with material things"

Founder of the governing National Democratic Congress is worried about the fact that his party is disadvantaged against the opposition New Patriotic Party in this year's electioneering campaign, especially when it comes to the issue of corruption.

According to former President Jerry John Rawlings, the NPP is fortunate to have a leader who "is not known for messing around with material things."

Many Ghanaians see the contrary to be the case with President Mahama who has been embroiled in various bribery and corruption scandals, with the latest being the acceptance of the $100,000 worth of a Ford Expedition vehicle from a Burkinabe contractor who was given contracts by the government after being led by a friend to 'salute' the president.

One of the key campaign messages of Nana Akufo-Addo is that he is coming into office to end the naked thievery of state funds, and the corruption that has been elevated to ridiculous heights under the current Mahama administration, a situation Mr Rawlings is so much worried about.

Former President Rawlings has chastised the current leadership for allowing corruption to envelope the NDC party that once upheld the virtues of probity and accountability in high esteem.

In an interview with the Nigerian Guardian newspaper, the NDC founder said such situation was not good for his party since the NPP could use that against it in the upcoming polls.

"We now fight on the terms of the opposition or the main opposition party. Fortunately for them, they have a leader who is not known for messing around with material things. The situation is so bad. So unfortunate!" Mr Rawlings lamented.

He gives the impression that his worry has been particularly compounded by the fact that he is not in a position to do much about the naked corruption being presided over by President Mahama

"All I can do is speak up. I find myself in a situation where I have moral responsibility and no executive authority. I would have wished that my moral authority could have the same influence. But that is not the case, corruption has infiltrated our institutions and their leaders so badly today that they use some kind of lens to demonstrate that you can keep your moral authority, but this is executive power at work.

So all I can do is to critique and advocate for my people. I can't hide it. And I believe that was how I won the respect from the larger populace, from both sides of the political divide. I have remained principled. My wife is still standing where she is, cut off from our party that she was very responsible in building up because it became corrupted from Mills' time," the former president added.