NPP snubs NCCE presidential debate

The New Patriotic Party says it is already preoccupied with lot of equally important things that it would not sacrifice any for Tuesday’s debate by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

Nana Obiri Boahene, Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, told 3FM News the party would not “put much premium” on the debate.

“Do you think it is a crucial debate?” he shot back at the anchor, Kwakye Afreh Nuamah when he tried to know why the party refused to participate. Many people have wondered why the presidential candidate of the largest opposition party, Nana Akufo-Addo is not taking part in a debate being organized by a state institution.

President John Mahama and the remaining five candidates would be at the event, but many have been longing to see Akufo-Addo and Mahama on the same platform.

The NCCE said several discussions were held with Akufo-Addo’s handlers but they would not move.

“Why do you insist Nana Akufo-Addo should be part of the debate?” Obiri Boahene retorted “We have our own progammes and activities for the year and we decided not to attend, what is wrong about that?”

The Deputy General Secretary was emphatic, “we are not interested. We have a lot of things to do”.

Nana Akufo-Addo is currently in Banda in the Brong Ahafo region.

He further pointed out that the debate is “much ado about nothing”, adding, “if the NCCE is doing a debate those who think they can afford to attend, so be it…why do you make noise over such things. I appall some of these things.”

But a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Jonathan Asante Okyere believes the NPP shot itself in the foot when it declined the invitation. “It is quite unfortunate for the NPP to assume such a position…I want to be charitable…it smacks of arrogance on their part,” he assessed.

He suspects political strategists advising Nana Akufo-Addo may be thinking the candidate has already won the 2016 election, which makes the debate unbeneficial.

In his analysis, some elites in society would want to have Akufo-Addo and Mahama debate each other on key issues on the same platform to enable them assess the two, because the December 7 presidential election would largely be a two-horse race.