Stop the campaign of lies; I didn't enter any SHS - Mahama tells NPP

Former President John Dramani Mahama has described as lies and malicious propaganda, claims he went into a Senior High School in the Northern Region to campaign and incite students against President Nana Akufo-Addo.

The ex-president and Deputy National Organiser of the NDC, Joshua Akamba are alleged to have gone to Wapuli Community Senior High and Tempani SHS respectively, to campaign and in the course, incited the student against government’s Free SHS policy.

Joshua Akamba is captured in a viral video asking the students about the challenges they are facing with the Free SHS policy and subsequently ordered them to shame President Akufo-Addo and the NPP for endangering their (students) lives.

Condemning the act, National Youth Organizer of the New Patriotic Party, Henry Nana Boakye said it is “irresponsible, repulsive, reckless and unpatriotic” on the part of the former president and Joshua Akamba to campaign in the schools as the Ghana Education Service regulations forbid active partisan politics on the campuses of Pre-Tertiary Education institutions.

A statement signed by Nana B, further urged all concerned Ghanaians to condemn the act which according to him, is a vicious ploy by the NDC to destroy the Free SHS Policy.

But in a quick response, John Mahama’s Spokesperson James Agyenim-Boateng dispelled the claims and accused the NPP of embarking on a “campaign of lies” against his boss.

According to Mr. Agyenim-Boateng, Mahama did not visit “and has still not entered any secondary school to interact with students in the Northern Region nor any other region during his campaign tours”.

The Spokesperson in a statement, explained that Mahama while on his way to Saboba Constituency, was stopped by a crowd of students who demanded an interaction with him.

“Driving on a very dusty road to Saboba Constituency on Thursday, 4th October 2018, Mr Mahama’s convoy slowed down for a large group of students (about 70) who were on their way home after school in order for the vehicles not to kick a storm of dust on the students, noticing that it was Mr Mahama’s convoy, the students massed up in the middle of the road and demanded an interaction with him. Mr Mahama subsequently honoured their demand by popping out of the moon roof of his vehicle and interacted with the students,” the statement reads.

Mr. Agyenim-Boateng indicated that the former President who is on a campaign tour to seek re-election as flagbearer of the NDC in the 2020 elections, did not engage the students on any political issue but rather advised them to be “studious, diligent, respectful and hardworking so that they can excel in their examinations”.

“The students in turn told Mr Mahama of the challenges facing their school and pleaded with Mr Mahama to resolve them when he is elected president in 2020. Mr Mahama promised to attend to their need when elected and thanked the students,” the statement further revealed.



Read the full statement below

PRESS STATEMENT

NPP MEMBERS WAGE CAMPAIGN OF LIES AGAINST FORMER PRESIDENT MAHAMA

Our attention has been drawn to yet another campaign of lies and deliberate disinformation intended to bring public disaffection to former President John Dramani Mahama.

Last week it was President Nana Akufo-Addo who started a malicious propaganda against Mr Mahama when the former President called for a stakeholders review conference to address the challenges facing the Free Senior High School progamme in order not to compromise the quality of secondary education in the country.

Fortunately, the good people of Ghana saw through the lies and propaganda started by the president and it fell flat on its face.

As if that was not enough, on Friday the National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party, Henry Nana Boakye, started another round of fabricated nonsense in order to tarnish the image of Mr Mahama and bring him into disrepute.

Nana Boakye had alleged that both Mr Mahama and Mr Joshua Akamba, Deputy National Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had incited students against the Free SHS policy.

Whilst we do not speak for Mr Akamba and are also not seized with the facts surrounding his interaction with students, if any, we wish to state the following as the facts about Mr Mahama’s photos with students of Wapuli Community Senior High School which have gone viral on social media:

Mr Mahama did not (and has still not) entered any secondary school to interact with students in the Northern Region nor any other region during his campaign tours;

Driving on a very dusty road to Saboba Constituency on Thursday, 4th October 2018, Mr Mahama’s convoy slowed down for a large group of students (about 70) who were on their way home after school in order for the vehicles not to kick a storm of dust on the students;

Noticing that it was Mr Mahama’s convoy, the students massed up in the middle of the road and demanded an interaction with him:

Mr Mahama subsequently honoured their demand by popping out of the moon roof

of his vehicle and interacted with the students;

e. Mr Mahama urged them to be studious, diligent, respectful and hardworking so that they can excel in their examinations;

The students in turn told Mr Mahama of the challenges facing their school and

pleaded with Mr Mahama to resolve them when he is elected president in 2020;

Mr Mahama promised to attend to their need when elected and thanked the

students.

The convoy subsequently drove off.

It is clear from the above that Mr Mahama has not dabbled in politics with Senior High School students in the Northern Region and that jaundiced, thoughtless and mischievous fabrication by Henry Nana Boakye must be treated with contempt.

In the last few days, following the warm and rousing welcome given the former President in constituencies in both the Central and Northern Regions and the government’s cluelessness about how to resolve the economic hardship, including the high cost of living in Ghana, and massive job losses, Mr Mahama has become a target of wicked and unproven allegations by fake news promoters and entrepreneurs in the government.

We wish to state that Mr Mahama is focused on delivering the country from the economic hardship and committed to working hard to provide jobs when elected in the 2020 elections. He will therefore not be deterred by the constant, consistent and deliberate attempts by NPP members to malign him.

In conclusion, we welcome the call by the NPP’s National Youth Organiser for the Ghana Education Service to investigate the matter and make its findings public.

***END***

JAMES AGYENIM-BOATENG SPOKESPERSON

SATURDAY, 6TH OCTOBER 2018 TAMALE