General News of Tuesday, 11 July 2017
Source: citifmonline.com
2017-07-11
Former flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr. Edward Nasigri Mahama
Former flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Dr. Edward Nasigri Mahama, has described as lies claims that he expelled some members of his party for accepting positions offered by both the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and New Patriotic Party (NPP) administrations in times past.
Dr. Edward Mahama, who led the PNC into five different elections, was on Monday sworn in as Ambassador-at-Large by President Akufo-Addo, together with other ambassadors.
But the PNC’s Chairman, Bernard Mornah, said Dr. Mahama should have rejected the position because he turned down similar positions in the past, and also went ahead to suspend PNC members who took up appointments in other governments.
According to Mornah, Dr. Mahama suspended Mallam Issah and Ambrose Dery as well as others who were given positions in the NDC and NPP governments. However, Dr. Mahama in a Citi News interview refuted the claims.
“He [Bernard Mornah] is speaking out of ignorance, malice or outright lies. In fact I proposed Ambrose Dery to go into the NPP government. Moses Daniba served under the NPP government; I never chaired a meeting to expel any of them so what he is saying are outright lies.”
“What I did not do in 2000 was that I would not serve as a vice president unless it was a party to party agreement. A vice president is serving under a particular manifesto that the candidate puts up in the year he is elected, the ambassador is an ambassador for Ghana, there is a difference,” he added.
I’m going to serve Ghana, not NPP
Dr. Mahama explained that he took up the position because that is his own way of serving Ghana.
“We practice democracy even in the PNC and people are entitled to their opinions about this issue. But I know quite clearly that if I had declined those submissions, those who said I should have declined would say that I only want to be president. I am quite clear in my conscience that he has appointed me an ambassador of Ghana not of the PNC or the NPP.”
“I am taking this position because the president thinks that there are specific things he wants me to do…whenever he asks me to do I will do it to the glory of God and the president. Anybody who said I shouldn’t do anything for Ghana because my party is not in power I don’t agree with them,” he added.
