Daily Guide's Thursday March 17 Edition reported there are strong indications that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) would boycott the Presidential Debate for Election 2016 under the auspices of highly-rated policy think-tank, the Institute of Economic Affair (IEA).
President John Mahama granting interview to TV3 in Accra on Monday, appeared to have dropped the hint about what the NDC intends to do.
While inviting the New Patriotic Party (NPP) standard bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for a debate, President Mahama issued a caveat that he would only take part in this year’s presidential debate ahead of the November 7 elections if his party agrees.
“I’m willing to debate Nana Akufo-Addo any day even if you call him today, I will put it here and start debating the issues. So I don’t have a problem with debating Nana Addo…I would have wished that you had him here so that we would debate those issues,” the President bragged.
He added, “Essentially our parties are involved in agreeing on the format of the debate and who organizes it and all that, so it’s not for me to say. I’m sure the NDC party at the appropriate time, if they are invited to a debate, would have to take a decision on whether they feel comfortable with whoever is organizing the debate.”
“Curiously, the IEA is the leading think-tank that initiated and has been organizing presidential debates since 2000; and for the president to hold that the NDC ‘would have to take a decision on whether they feel comfortable with whoever is organizing the debate,’ shows clearly that the ruling party is not going to be part of this year’s event,” observed a political analyst.
But in reaction to Daily Guide's publication on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the NDC Deputy Chief Scribe, George Lawson described the publication as speculative and not factual because the party has not granted any interview to the newspaper on the issue of the IEA debate.
“This is speculative story which does not base on any fact. We have not spoken to Daily Guide on whether we will participate in IEA debate or not; we have not decided yet and the decision does not lie on me to say, but the leadership...when the time is due, we will let the public know,” George Lawson indicated.
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