President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has chastised former President John Dramani Mahama during the New Patriotic Party’s final rally ahead of the June 27 by-election in Assin North, for allegedly attacking the judiciary.
Mahama, who had also addressed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) final rally in Gangan made comments to the effect that the courts had been politicized and that led to the ouster of NDC’s James Gyakye Quayson as Member of Parliament, which ouster led to the by-election.
Akufo-Addo blasted Mahama for the comments describing it as unfortunate but unsurprising for a man who ever said that ‘Ghanaians are forgetful.’
The president referred to the case of NPP MP Adamu Dramani Sakande who was jailed during Mahama’s presidency over a dual citizenship case, a similar incident to what Quayson is facing in an Accra High Court.
“John Mahama says if not for politics, what the courts have said of Mr. Quayson will not be. Essentially that the Supreme Court has been politicized. Ghanaians easily forget and that is why he said that.
“What happened to Adamu Dramani Sakande during his presidency, he seems to have forgotten. It is the exact same thing that has befallen Quayson.
“Was it politics that led to Sakande’s jailing during his presidency? Why is he relating it to that now, let us be truthful, we should be truthful, people should stop lying to people in the villages,” he jabbed.
He drummed the advantages of choosing the NPP’s Charles Opoku over Quayson stressing that the constituency needs someone from the ruling party and not a lawmaker who could potentially be in jail or who would be frequenting the courts during his tenure.
“Don’t elect someone who will be frequenting the courts – Appeal, Supreme, High Courts, that is not what you need. I came to appeal to you to elect a lawmaker who can join government to continue the work government is executing in Assin North.
“Ghanaians are forgetful, does such a person think well of Ghanaians? We are not a forgetful people. What happened to Sakande, it is on the same path Quayson is traveling. It is not for me to say.
“The NPP is not interested in intimidating or scaring him, it is the laws that are after him, it is not me scaring him, it is the laws. If the laws come after you, it is not Nana Addo, it is the law,” Akufo-Addo stressed stating that he has never sought to influence the courts in his time in office.
The by-election has attracted a lot of political activity in the past few weeks. Campaigns ended on June 25 ahead of the vote.