The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has shot down mismanagement and corruption allegations levelled against the party by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Addressing the media in Accra on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu continued the back and forth between the two parties over the management of the economy.
“Former President Mahama and Seth Terkper are on public record as being the worst duo to have even been in charge of the Ghanaian economy at the same time,” he said.
“He [Mahama] put the economy in a free-fall after extremely reckless expenditure in excess of some 12 billion in pursuit of election victory in 2012”.
“His economy under Seth Terkper never recovered, leading to unheard of taxation measures including putting taxes on condoms and cutlasses,” Mr. Boadu said.
The comments from the NPP General Secretary followed the NDC Professionals Forum, where criticisms were levelled against the Akufo-Addo administration’s management of the economy.
Former President John Mahama cited corruption and mismanagement of the country’s resources as issues impeding the country’s development.
Mr. Mahama said the COVID-19 pandemic had become a convenient excuse for President Akufo-Addo and the NPP government for their mismanagement of the economy.
“COVID-19 has become the convenient whipping boy and has been cited as the reason for the crisis we face now and the attendant economic hardships. Yes, COVID-19 affected the economy, and no one can dispute that. It is however not the main reason why we are in the current hole we find ourselves.”
“COVID-19 only became a pretext for reckless election-related spending, which produced the largest-ever budget deficit in the recent economic history of Ghana last year.”
He has thus charged the government to accept that it is their mismanagement of the economy and thirst for consumption expenditure is what has plunged the nation into the current crisis.
“This government must accept that it is their mismanagement of the economy, their thirst for consumption expenditure, and the desire to spend beyond our means in order to win elections that have plunged us into the current crisis, not necessarily COVID-19.”
