NPP should stop this "neo-barbaric" politics - Tony Aidoo

Dr. Tony Aidoo, the Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation Office at the presidency, has defended the challenge thrown to the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) by President Mahama over the plethora of corruption allegations leveled against him (president).

Dr. Aidoo believes, the president’s statement at Ho clearly indicated that he was ready to waive his immunity as president to appear before any anti-corruption state agency to answer questions that border on the integrity of his office.

Speaking on Monday’s edition of Breakfast XYZ on Radio XYZ 93.1FM, Dr. Tony Aidoo parried a statement by former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, that the president’s challenge was a hollow challenge and an insult to Ghanaians.

Mr. Amidu had earlier stated that: “Is the Ghanaian middle class being told that in spite of our education and experience we should believe that any impartial investigation by any of the public anti-corruption agencies as presently constituted can take place about his personal incorruptibility or that of the Government he leads? Or does he think a middle class worth the name of an educated middle class will accept the hollow challenge thrown at Ho without reasoning?”

Dr. Tony Aidoo however said “Martin should know that to the extent that President Mahama has publicly declared his intention to respond to any accusations of corruption, it means that he has waived his immunity.”

He said the decision by the president to make himself available to answer charges of corruption is in itself a “very courageous thing because constitutionally he (president) has immunity. He is not obliged to appear before any court of law on any criminal or civil matter.”

He added that every citizen has a constitutional right and responsibility to report incidents of corruption to CHRAJ or any other body if they have any iota of evidence so as to commence appropriate investigations into the matter.

He debunked the assertion by Mr. Martin Amidu that there will not be an impartial umpire in such cases because the president is involved saying, “for an NDC government which over the past 3 years has lost about 17 cases in court, is there an assurance that this particular case it will not lose?”

He said “during Kufuor’s time, a complaint was lodged with the CHRAJ against President Kufuor. It was the same thing. What is to stop anybody who believes that he has concrete evidence of corruption against the president lodging the complaint with the CHRAJ. After all this is the time to do it.”

Dr. Tony Aidoo said the recurrent attacks against the president are what he describes as “neo-barbaric” orchestrations by the NPP leadership to denigrate the president.

According to him, “it is not a situation of lose talk by some attack dogs of the NPP. This is a conspiracy agreed upon among the NPP leadership and the dimensions of this conspiracy are already in the public domain.”

Dr. Aidoo revealed that the NPP in its quest to create disaffection towards the president is attacking President Mahama on religious and tribal grounds in an attempt to create a wedge between Christians and Muslims as well as Gonjas and Dagombas.

He stressed that the recent allegations of impropriety against the President over his brothers loan with Merchant Bank showed how the extent the NPP is willing to go in order to win the elections.