Back incumbency abuse claims with evidence – CDD

The head of research and programmes at CDD, Paul Abrampah Mensah, has urged persons claiming that President John Dramani Mahama is abusing his incumbency to provide evidence.

According to him, establishing such claims is a rather difficult hurdle to cross since there’s no evidence that state resources are being used by the governing National Democratic Congress’ to push its re-election efforts.

Mr Mensah holds the view that critics must be able to establish whether “public resources are being used to finance political activities. One example [given by critics] is the branding of outboard motors [in] NDC colours. In fact, if you go to the coffers and realise that those outboard motors were bought with state money, then it is abuse of incumbency”.

The President inaugurated the Dodowa District Hospital and addressed a gathering at a ceremony to mark the conversion of the Takoradi Polytechnic into a technical university this week, but the president’s critics have questioned the timing of the projects and have added that such activities constitute abuse of incumbency.

Acting chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Mr Freddie Blay told Emefa Apawu on Class FM’s 505 news programme on Tuesday April 5 that the “president is overstepping his boundaries” in some of his activities.

According to him, “Ghanaians are discerning and no matter how the president abuses incumbency the electorate will decide.”