Mahama to dodge 2nd IEA debate

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Created on Tuesday, 06 November 2012 00:00

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Mahama to dodge 2nd IEA debate

05 November 2012

After receiving a “beating” at the first Presidential debate organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), the New Statesman is reliably informed that the President of the Republic, who is also the 2012 Presidential Candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress, plans to skip the 2nd IEA debate.

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Hints picked up by the New Statesman from sources close to President John Dramani Mahama indicate that he wants to avoid the 2nd IEA debate, despite giving assurances to the organizers that he will be available on the 20th of November, the date scheduled for the 2nd debate.

Sources close to the President tell the paper that one of the means by which the President could use to dodge another “beating” from the Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, will be to create an emergency situation in the country through which, and by no fault of his, he will be mandated to skip the debate.

This emergency situation, according to sources, could likely to be in the form of a visit to the country by an African Head of State, or the President receiving an invitation to visit a neighbouring African country.

This move will, in President’s hope, ensure that he becomes “unavailable” for the debate, and will also ensure that the IEA cannot fault him for missing the event since he will be “on a national assignment.”

John Mahama’s strategists, as well as NDC strategists, are deeply worried about the hammer blow the 2nd IEA debate could potentially have on the President’s already ailing campaign, after the poor showing of the President at the debate.

An NDC source told the paper that, “the 1st debate, in the opinion of the NDC hierarchy, exposed the President as timid and very shallow in the eyes of Ghanaians. Any neutral observer, watching the debate would rather think Akufo-Addo was the President. With 17 days to the general election, by the time the 2nd IEA debate is held, we don’t want to risk another disaster.”

Analysts point to a litany of goofs by the President, on the day, as highly unprecedented and show that the President is not on top of issues in the country he presides over.

The President’s position on the National Development Planning Commission, the goof on the cost of training a single Ghanaian doctor in Cuba, his weak analysis and attempt to state that the Agricultural sector was growing when figures point to a decline are some examples of what the NDC is desperate to avoid.

By Fiifi Arhin

Source: thestatesmanonline.com