This year, the IEA introduced what it called “Evening Encounter with Presidential Candidates”, which was meant to precede the main presidential debates, however, there seems to be a tug-of-war between the two leading political parties on the participation of their presidential candidates in the IEA debates.
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Is Nana Addo running away from debating with Mahama?
Some political pundits believes Nana Addo turning down the debate challenge from Mahama "would be a huge mistake" but what about the voters? Pulse reporter Emmanuel Tornyi asks.
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As soon as IEA made public their plans for the 2016 debates, NDC announced that both President Mahama and NDC were boycotting not only the IEA organised debates but all IEA activities because it accused the IEA of bias against NDC.
It was clear at that time that with dumsor as an albatross on them, President Mahama and NDC were uncomfortable to subject themselves to scrutiny. It seemed like a actical decision not to participate in both the IEA announced Evening Encounter with Presidential Candidates and the presidential debates. In response, the NPP claimed that President Mahama had chickened out.
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Seasoned journalist Kweku Baako described the NDC decision as “bad judgement” whilst Dr Ransford Gyampo referred to it as “political suicide”.
Nobody is good at everything, and certainly Mahama isn’t. Presidential debates frame the choices that voters make.
The topics discussed in debates are often the most controversial issues of the time, and arguably elections have been nearly decided by these debates.
The debate is the best chance to convince a majority of the electorate that handing the nuclear codes to his opponent [Nana Addo] would be a mistake.
President Mahama some months back asked for a one-on-one debate challenge with Nana Addo, the president told Accra-based TV3.
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Nana Akufo-Addo's performance at the last presidential debate in 2012 according to the NDC was nothing to write home about.
Back in February, Nana Addo in a tweet said if the debate will "solve Ghana’s problems" he is battle ready.
The President repeated his challenge to Nana Akufo-Addo for a one-on-one debate after watching the US presidential debate last Wednesday.
President Mahama recently in an interview with Ovation Magazine said Nana Addo has been running away from an opportunity to debate President Mahama on issues surrounding his term in office.
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But Mahama speaking on Volta Star Radio in the Volta region said, "When I threw the first challenge, I threw it because a lot of misinformation was being thrown all over the place, and Nana Akufo-Addo and his running mate continue to misinform the Ghanaian public and that is why I said we should have a one-on-one debate."
"If we have a one-on-one debate … Ghanaians will be able to tell who is telling the truth and who is not telling the truth. They [NPP] say the economy is in crisis, if we had a debate, you’ll show why you think the economy is in crisis, the documents are all there, the statistics are there, and, so, I believe that Ghanaians deserve a debate between myself and Nana Akufo-Addo and I hope that he will rise to the occasion," he said.
“I have challenged him (Akufo-Addo) to a debate, I have said bring all these points you are raising one by one and lets us have a debate. Let me and you debate to the Ghanaian public about the points you are raising; inflation, infrastructure and things. But he has ran away.”
Spokesperson of Nana Addo, Mustapha Hamid shot down the possibility of a debate saying the NPP leader means business and would not debate a President he describes as not being able to maintain his position on any issue in the country.
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Nana Addo has often accused the Mahama government of corruption, mismanagement of the economy, and poor governance but President Mahama said he would rather prefer a debate than mere accusations.
Nana Addo has also called the President incompetent. Asked whether he (Mahama) was not running away from a debate, because his party had said he will not participate in the IEA debate.
Mahama answered by asking “How can I run from a debate? I want a productive debate, one on one with Nana Addo. What they are talking about is the IEA. I want a debate on all the contentious issues he has raised. And I will respond and Ghanaians will be the judge.”
Some political pundits believes Nana Addo turning down the debate challenge from Mahama "would be a huge mistake."
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