NDC youth deserves commendation for intervening against state sponsored picketing at Mahama’s office – NDC MP

Member of Parliament of Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak, says the Greater Accra Youth Wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) deserves commendation for standing up to the Fixing the Country Movement.

Fixing the Country Movement, led by Owusu Bempah, had planned to picket at the residence of former President John Dramani Mahama over the Airbus scandal.

The group had alleged that the Office of the Special Prosecutor had delayed in investigating the matter.

They had planned to picket at the residence of Mahama until the OSP probed the matter.

However, after several postponements and a final date set for the picketing, the planned exercise was called off.

The National Security Ministry is said to have intervened, saying the exercise would have set a bad precedent.

But reacting to this, Dr. Clement Apaak noted that the main reason why the planned demonstration was called off was that the Youth Wing stood up against the group.

He noted that the group was sponsored by the Nana Addo and Bawumia administration to embark on this nonsensical protest, but they were forced to stop because the Youth Wing was ready to match them boot for boot.

He described them as bullies, adding that the only language bullies understand is for you to stand up against them and match them boot for boot.

For him, this is the posture the National Democratic Congress (NDC) ought to take going into the 2024 general elections.

“Indeed the Greater Accra Youth Wing of the NDC must be highly commended for calling the bluff of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP gov’t sponsored thugs. The only reason why they called off their nonsensical attempt was because of the robust determination of the Greater Accra Youth Wing to meet them boot4boot. The only language bullies understand is to stand-up to them. This is the posture we need going into the 2024 elections.”

Meanwhile, former President John Dramani Mahama has expressed gratitude and appreciation to members of the public particularly the Greater Accra Youth Wing of the NDC for the love, support, and commitment to defending his strong and incorruptible character.

He commended the party’s youth including the women who converged at the Cantonments office on Thursday to solidarise with John Mahama in the face of what was a misguided attempt by elements sponsored by the leadership of the NPP to picket around the office.

An aide to the former president, Joyce Bawa Mogtari in a statement said “Mr. Mahama also notes that the Ministry of National Security decided to intervene and stop

the advertised picketing.

"It is most regrettable that amid the excruciating hardship and the suffering brought upon Ghanaians by the NPP government, they would rather find it necessary to dabble in bizarre and inexplicable antics over a so-called Airbus matter, which has long been laid to rest and over which Mr. Mahama has absolutely no questions to answer.

"The needless aborted picketing was clearly designed to divert attention from the mismanagement of the economy, the public’s frustration with hunger and high costs of living, and the citizenry’s anger with the daily reports and evidence of high-level corruption sanctioned by the Presidency.”

The statement added “It must be placed on record that Mahama has never been accused of, or investigated for, any involvement or wrongdoing of any sort by either the UK or US authorities in relation to Airbus. lndeed, neither the Ghanaian government nor any other authority anywhere in the world has any evidence of wrongdoing against him.

"The Serious Fraud Office of the United Kingdom has long announced their discontinuation of the Airbus case due to lack of evidence. It is also a matter of record that there has been no breach of Ghana’s procurement laws or any other law in the processes leading to the purchase of the aircrafts under reference.”