Mahama Fights IEA Over Presidential Debate

The Mahama 2024 Campaign has launched a scathing attack on the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) following the latter’s announcement of an upcoming presidential debate in preparation for Ghana’s 2024 General Elections.

In a statement released on Friday, July 19, 2024, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, the Spokesperson for the Mahama 2024 Campaign, expressed strong disapproval of the IEA’s decision to unveil plans for a presidential debate without extending an official invitation to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), a key political entity in Ghana.

Mogtari slammed the IEA’s actions as “completely unacceptable,” emphasizing the necessity of engaging all major political parties in such significant electoral events.

The Mahama Campaign Team accused the IEA of lacking the constitutional mandate to organize election-related activities, highlighting concerns about the transparency and fairness of the process.

“The Mahama 2024 Campaign strongly condemns the recent announcement by the Institute of Economic Affairs (lEA) Ghana regarding a presidential debate for the 2024 elections. It is completely unacceptable that the lEA would make such an announcement without engaging or informing the National Democratic Congress, one of the major political parties in Ghana.”

According to the Mahama Campaign, the failure of the IEA to inform or involve the NDC in its debate arrangements raises suspicions about the organization’s underlying motives.

The campaign insinuated that the IEA could potentially be biased towards the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), alleging an attempt to sway the electoral dynamics in favor of the incumbent government.

Further, the Mahama Campaign stressed that former President John Dramani Mahama and his running mate, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, have been actively engaging with the electorate to address their needs and concerns over an extended period. They emphasized the outreach efforts made by the NDC leadership to interact with various segments of the population both online and offline, underlining their commitment to fostering dialogue and understanding among the citizenry.

The IEA is clearly acting as a front for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and seeks to manipulate the electoral process in favour of the ruling party.

“It is important to remind the lEA and the Ghanaian public that the NDC, led by our presidential candidate John Dramani Mahama and running mate Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, has been engaging with the citizenry for many years. Mahama’s online and offline conversations have targeted a wide range of audiences and focused on addressing the needs and concerns of the people of Ghana.”