John Mahama, NDC Won't Apologise To 'Akyems' - Peter Otokunor

News

John Mahama, NDC Won't Apologise To 'Akyems' - Peter Otokunor

The Deputy General Secretary of the opposition NDC, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor has rubbished the incessant pressure being piled on Mr. John Dramani Mahama to render an unqualified apology to the chiefs and people of Akyem state over an ethnocentric comment which sought to tag the Akyems as "Mafias and Sakawa".

According to him, neither the NDC nor its flagbearer would render any such apology to any group, since Mr. Mahama and NDC had had similar abusive or offensive comments from President Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP without any apology. Insisting that there must be equity in the country.

Speaking in an interview via Zoom with JoyNews' Mamavi on the AM Show, the NDC Deputy Secretary said "were we not in this country when Akufo-Addo and his running mate Bawumia called Mr. Mahama an incompetent and corrupt?....did anybody ask them to apologise?"

The NDC Flagbearer following his strong disagreement with the ruling Government over the Agyapa Royalties deal, recently reposted what had been widely described as divisive and ethnocentric comments by an NDC member of parliament calling the sitting President and some government officials as "Akyem Mafia" and "Sakawa Boys".

Mr. Mahama has since continued to receive backslashes from individuals and groups for using his Facebook wall to promote such ethnocentric comments in an apparent bid to win political power come December 2020.

President Akufo-Addo at a recent meeting with the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference complained bitterly about the ethnocentric campaign being staged by Mr Mahama and his party, NDC.

"Sometimes, one would hope when things come out, people will comment on them. The comment made by my opponent: ‘Akyem Sakawa’ people, I have not heard any public figure in this country or anybody comment on it”.
“If I was to get up to make a comment about northerners or Gonjas, you can imagine the uproar that will be in the country,” worried Akufo-Addo said.

In spite of that, the NDC Deputy General Secretary insisted that Mr. John Dramani Mahama was not ready to retract or apologise for echoing or using the Akyem Sakawa tag on President Akufo-Addo and some of his officials.