George Boateng is “comic relief” – Bagbin

Majority Leader Alban Bagbin has advised George Boateng – the NDC member who is challenging President John Mahama – to “rethink” because he is not only “a comic relief” but a recipe for anarchy in Ghana.

Bagbin stressed the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) executive member at the Oyarifa constituency must not be taken seriously because he does not have the basic qualities of a leader let alone occupy the highest office of the land.

Describing Boateng as “a joke”, the MP for Nadowli-Kaleo noted Ghana’s democracy must not be taken for granted.

“I see it as comic relief. There is nowhere in the world that you have unlimited rights and freedoms, they are always managed,” the former Works and Housing Minister told Accra-based Asempa FM.

“The notion that democracy is just about voting must be discounted with… I’m all for it but not the caliber of George Boateng. George Boateng cannot even entertain us. Even though I said he is a comic relief he is taking Ghanaians for a ride. He is a joke.

“Ghana is not just the forerunner in achievement of independence in sub-Saharan Africa but in the democratic world we are an icon and even the developed world are learning from us. We have peace and harmony and that beats the imagination of many countries and so even though we want to open up for participation we should not be taken for granted, that anybody can just wake up and say I want to be president.”

Bagbin added: “In areas that this has happened we have had anarchy. Is not every person who is a leader and so I beg to differ… George Boateng should rethink.”

Boateng is hoping to unseat Mahama to lead the ruling party in the 2016 presidential elections, but the national executives have ruled out the possibility of allowing him sail through, arguing the forms he bought were draft copies.

The General Secretary of the NDC Johnson Asiedu Nketia has described him as mentally unstable after Boateng stated his main aim is to legalise cannabis to shore up the economy of an ailing economy.