Andy Kankam, Editor of the Informer Newspaper
Editor of the Informer Newspaper, Andy Kankam says former President Mahama’s ‘do or die’ statement is as bad as President Akufo-Addo’s 2012 ‘all die be die’ comment.
To him both statements are unacceptable by peace-loving Ghanaians and just as the ‘all die be die’ was condemned, no one should try to defend the recent ‘do or die’ statement. “We don’t need such an inflammatory statement,” he stated.
According to him, the NDC party faithful have been made to believe that the 2020 general elections were rigged to favour the NPP. “Former President Mahama on his thank-you tour is still saying the election was rigged but the Supreme Court says otherwise, and he’s now adding the 2024 elections will be a do or die affair. The Supreme Court only pronounced judgment based on the evidence and case brought before them and nothing more.”
On the Editors’ Take edition of the Happy Morning show, Andy Kankam shared, “the NDC presented spreadsheets of their own creation during the 2020 petition and not pink sheets. They failed at the Supreme Court and 2024 do or die cry should not be supported. They are preaching violence now and we must not rationalize the statement by saying it is an idiomatic expression. It is uncharacteristic of the former President to say such things.”
He maintained that party grassroots heed to calls and chants by their leaders and do not seek any explanations to what they say, making former President Mahama’s do-or-die statement dangerous. “We saw people engage in beastly conduct after the NDC claimed the EC had rigged election 2020 and the do or die statement can escalate things. A statement from such a heavyweight as Mahama is dangerous.”
Andy Kankam charged members of the respective political parties to condemn their party leaders whenever they make uncouth and violent statements rather than try and defend them. “Mahama has a rich communications background and must be clear with his communication so that no one will attempt to rationalize his statements. Do or die and all die be die are one and the same and must be condemned.”
Background
Former President John Mahama is fighting off claims that his recent comments may be a prediction of violence in the next general elections.
During his election 2020 ‘Thank You’ tour, John Dramani Mahama reiterated this suspicion on Tuesday, September 7, that; “we were clearly robbed, but we accepted the verdict for the sake of peace.”
“But I want to state here that the next elections would be won or lost at the polling station. So at the polling station, it will be do or die. I am not saying all die die. I’m saying it will be ‘do or die’ because the right thing must be done,” he told Techiman-based Akina FM.
This comment has received condemnation from a cross-section of Ghanaians who have called on the former President to retract his statement as it is unbecoming of a statesman, which he has refused.
He says his utterance regarding a ‘do or die’ affair at polling stations in 2024 is an idiomatic expression that has been misconstrued by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).