Mahama, Akufo-Addo debate is good for Ghana’s democratic politics – Dr Asante

Director of Advocacy and Programmes at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr Kojo Pumpuni Asante, has said he supports the proposed debate between John Dramani Mahama and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Dr Asante told GhanaWeb on Thursday that the debate between the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the President consolidate Ghana’s democratic gains.

“For the last three elections or so, people looked forward to it. So why not? Why can’t we have a debate? We obviously would want a debate.

“Whether or not somebody didn’t do it the last time, we want a debate during every election and if we have elections the next time we think it will still be good to have a presidential debate,” he told GhanaWeb on Tuesday, August 25, 2020.

Dr Asante is among some prominent Ghanaians in support of a presidential debate between the two main contenders ahead of the December 7 elections.

The NDC presidential candidate threw an open challenge to Nana Akufo-Addofor an infrastructural debate last week, but the President’s party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has declined the invitation, calling it needless.



Some NPP activists have justified the party’s decision not to debate Akufo-Addo's key contender in the next election on grounds that John Mahama also declined a similar invitation in 2016 when then-candidate Nana Akufo-Addo called for a similar debate.

But Dr Asante said he would encourage the debate any day.

“I think that if it can come on it should. We should have a good debate,” he told GhanaWeb.

John Mahama, then President, debated Nana Akufo-Addo in the run up the elections in 2012.

Many say because both of them have had the opportunity to govern the country for four years at different periods, a debate presents the best opportunity for them to justify to voters why they should be re-elected for another four-year term.