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General News of Tuesday, 10 November 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Social media users upset with Amidu’s response to Mahama’s charge of ‘stupidity’

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Some Ghanaians are upset with Martin Amidu’s latest statement on John Dramani Mahama issued Monday, November 9 on a letterhead of the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

Mahama, on November 3, at a function at the University of Ghana, Legon, described the introduction of a paragraph on the Airbus scandal in the “corruption and anti-corruption risk assessment on the Agyapa Minerals Royalties agreement by Martin Amidu as cowardice and “stupidity”.

The Special Prosecutor’s final report presented to President Nana Akufo-Addo, named former President John Dramani Mahama, as the rumoured “Government Official 1” whose “brother is Samuel Adam Mahama” in the Airbus bribery scandal.

Mahama charged: “If you [Martin Amidu] were man enough, present Agyapa and do a report on Airbus separately. And I will come as a man and answer you on Airbus. If you think I’m indicted in Airbus, accuse me directly. But because he is a coward and he knew they were going to discuss Agyapa, he put a paragraph on Airbus to equalise the discussion. I mean what stupidity is this?”

In a counter response, Martin Amidu in a statement on Monday, November 9, challenged former President John Dramani Mahama to “man-up” and avail himself with his lawyers for interrogation.

Amidu wrote: “Your Excellency, the wise and the brave former President John Dramani Mahama, man-up, wise-up, and be brave enough to come with two lawyers of your own choice to be cautioned and interrogated by this Office to demonstrate your valour and wisdom as not being elected Government Official 1 and also as not being the first guarantor to Samuel Adam Mahama's passport application.”

Amidu added: “Former President John Dramani Mahama should go back and listen to the vetting by Parliament of the Special Prosecutor and the Special Prosecutor's interview with ‘Time with David Ampofo’ to be assured that crime will always remain crime no matter whose ass is gored. My friendship with the Minister for Finance never stopped me from making a professional assessment on the conduct of the Ministry of Finance in the sixty-four (64) page Agyapa assessment report. I have no brother or friend when it comes to my crusade against preventing corruption and fighting corruption. Ghana first always!”

This banter has received mixed reactions on social media.

Manasseh Azure Awuni, the investigative journalist wrote that the Special Prosecutor’s “...office is being desecrated”.

Musician A Plus, a known Nana Akufo-Addo supporter also commented: “So after appointing you special prosecutor, allocating the highest amount in the 2019 budget to your office, (GHS 180,160,231) giving you a fat salary, a huge office and many benefits, all you can do is to ask suspects to be bold and submit themselves? How useless can an office be? If the guy has done anything wrong, go get him to answer questions? This is like police claiming to know armed robbers but asking them to be bold and report themselves. ‘What kind of stupidity is that?’ In Mahama's voice”.

Musician Rex Omar wrote, “Ever since John Mahama was chosen over Martin Amidu as a running mate by Prof. Mills, he's been bitter like hell” adding that, "Whoever advised John Dramani Mahama to pick up a fight with Martin Amidu at this crucial time (3 weeks) to an election didn't help him at all."

Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a former Mahama appointee wrote, “Martin Amidu is a self-confessed peddler of falsehood against JM. He is to be dismissed as a hired propagandist of the NPP on a fruitless adventure in the misguided belief that it will impact this election.”

Read below more reactions.