John Dramani Mahama has said if elected President in 2024, his government will investigate how public funds were expended under the Akufo-Addo-led government and tis includes the Covid-19 Audit and the findings from the Auditor-General’s reports over years.

According to Mr Mahama, the time has come for Ghanaians to receive proper accountability from those they elect to political office.

This accountability, he said, can only be achieved by a new party in government.

“We must clean the Augean stables and rid them of the filth and corruption. The anti-corruption [agencies] will be given unfettered space to do their work. The days of the infamous ‘clearing agent’ will be well and truly over,” Mr said at his campaign launch in the Volta Region today, Thursday, 2 March 2023, adding that “But to ensure efficiency and professionalism at this endeavor, institutions of state would be empowered to be independent in their work.”

Mr Mahama noted that as President, state-owned enterprises will not be a gravy train for political apparatchiki.

He said he would re-introduce the hallmark of his previous administration - tolerance for criticism and the creation of a conducive atmosphere for the media to do its work without the fear of threats, harassment, and possible assassination.

Responding to calls from his party supporters that the next NDC government must also exact its pound of flesh on the NPP, Mr Mahama said “I daresay, there is no use fighting for political power, if it is only to come and repeat the same mistakes of the NPP administration that have brought our dear nation to this sorry state. We must, therefore, engage our grassroots to work together with us to build the Ghana we want.”

To be able to achieve all the above, Mr Mahama said “we must see different personalities and backgrounds. We must not see NDC and NPP. We must not see Ga, or Ewe or Akan or Dagomba. We must not look to religious differences. We must look to ourselves. We must look to Ghana. One united people. You and I, hand in hand and working together.”

He added “In Building The Ghana We Want Together, it will take grit, It will take determination, but we have what we did not have before – the benefit of hindsight and reflection from afar, and the benefit of experience – to improve upon our successes and avoid our mistakes.”

Mr Mahama has promised to engage the public and various interest groups to tap into their views on how to fashion “the Ghana we want” as he begins his campaign.