A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sammy Awuku has described the Mills’ welcome party from his medical check-up in the United States as unprecedented.
Sammy Awuku said he was baffled that returning from a simple routine medical check-up should attract such pomp and pageantry.
He said the action was totally uncalled for.
Sammy Awuku was speaking on Peace Fm’s Kokrokoo morning show on Tuesday.
President Mills, who was out on a ten-day medical check-up returned Monday to a rousing welcome organised by hundreds of supporters at the airport.
According to Sammy Awuku, President Mills’ arrival yesterday saw government business ground to halt as big shots in government all abandoned their posts to welcome him at the airport.
Sammy Awuku added that what happened on Monday was a display of sheer opulence that would paint a very bad picture of the country to the international community.
The Deputy Director of Communications further stated that there are indications that rumours of Mills’ death emanated from the seat of government adding that, should the President pass away, NPP would not be immediate beneficiaries.
Sammy Awuku further stated that if Mills sickness/death rumuors is meant to court sympathy votes, then it would fail as Ghanaians are now focused on bread and butter issues.
Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper who also appeared on the programme said the practice where people are bussed to airport to welcome Presidents must be discouraged.
Nevertheless, Kwesi Pratt explained the huge crowd that converged at the airport to witness Mills’ arrival could be attributed to rumuors that the President had passed away prior to his departure for the check-up.
Kwesi Pratt however described NPP’s denigration of Mills arrival party as one that smacks of double standards, maintaining that just recently Dr. Mahumudu Bawumia, NPP’s Vice Presidential candidate, also received a similar rousing welcome at the airport.