The election team of National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader John Mahama has accused the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) of trying to manipulate the electoral process in favour of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The team strongly condemned the IEA’s recent announcement that it would hold a presidential debate in the run-up to the 2024 elections, saying it was unacceptable that the IEA would make such an announcement without aligning itself with or informing the NDC, one of Ghana’s largest political parties.
A statement by Mahama’s aide, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, stressed that the IEA has no constitutional obligation to organise election-related activities.
“The Ghanaian Constitution does not empower the IEA to organise election-related activities. The fact that the IEA has not shown the decency or respect to at least inform the NDC of its plans raises serious questions about its motives.
“It is important to remind the IEA and the Ghanaian people that the NDC, under the leadership of our presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama and his running mate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has been engaging with the people for many years. Mr. Mahama’s online and offline conversations were targeted at a wide audience and focused on the needs and concerns of the Ghanaian people.”
Mr. Mahama’s team also warned the IEA not to use the name of the NDC to promote its activities.
“Their carefully planned engagements with various sectors of society across the country have been and will continue to be of great benefit to the Ghanaian people. We therefore warn the IEA not to use the name of the NDC to promote its activities, as this is a blatant attempt to deliberately misrepresent our party. Our engagement with the people of Ghana is unwavering. We will continue to work to hear all Ghanaians and ensure that their needs are taken into account.”
