Government says it will be writing officially to the Diplomatic Community in Ghana to put on notice that former President John Dramani Mahama told palpable falsehoods when he met some diplomats recently over the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election violence.
The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah made this known to journalists on Sunday at a press briefing in Koforidua.
He said in the coming days, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration will be writing to the diplomatic community on behalf of government to notify the community to disregard the claims made by former president John Dramani Mahama when he met the diplomats on February 13, 2019 at the Peduase Valley at Aburi in the Eastern region of Ghana.
Mr. Mahama who hosted the diplomatic community, presented the position of the National Democratic Congress, (NDC) on the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election shootings and in the process showed two separate videos to the diplomats.
In one of the videos, the former President claimed, was on the funeral of the late New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Emmanuel Kwabena Kyeremanteng Agyarko.
Whilst making reference to the funeral video, Mr. Mahama alleged that some persons captured on the tape were hoodlums of the NPP, claiming that one of the male hoodlums was wearing an earring and so cannot be said to be a national security operative as he believed male personnel of the Ghana Police Service do not wear earrings.
In the second video, Mr. Mahama told the diplomats that, the same hoodlums who attended the funeral of the late MP were brought to Accra on January 31, 2019 to provide security for the NPP’s candidate for the by-election, Lydia Seyram Alhassan who is the spouse of the deceased MP.
However, it has turned out that the funeral video was that of a deceased police officer, Lance Corporal Daniel Tieku.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah explained that Mr John Mahama peddled several falsehoods when he met the diplomatic community and that as a result Government deemed it necessary to correct the lies he told the diplomats.
He said the former president sought to undermine the authority of the state by his engagement with the diplomats.
According to him, two of the three videos that were shown to the diplomats were palpably falsehoods and designed to tarnish the high won reputation of Ghana in the international arena.
He said the video showing policemen dancing was taken at a funeral of a police officer and not at the funeral of the late MP.
Again, he said, former president Mahama lied when he claimed that the same persons seen in the funeral video were those brought to Accra to provide security for the New Patriotic Party’s candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election, Lydia Seyram Alhassan.
According to him, there were no security officers accompanying the NPP’s candidate and that those who were with her were Minister of Communication, Urusla Owusu-Ekuful and Deputy Information Minister, Pious Enam.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah added that, the evidence presented by the Electoral Commission and the Police at the ongoing enquiry by the Commission indicates that, there were no violence at any of the polling stations.
He described the actions of Mr. Mahama as unfortunate and called on the former President to apologise as his actions are prejudicial to the work of the Commission of Enquiry looking into the alleged cases of violence that characterized the elections.
