The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, has clarified that he never referred to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, as a “drunkard”.
At a mini rally in the Eastern Region on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, Mr. Atta Akyea said “Ghana is fortunate to have an economist who is composed, knowledgeable, and abstains from alcohol. We are truly blessed. Ghana is on the verge of having a president with wisdom, a leader who is astute and refrains from drinking alcohol”.
The NDC claimed that this gave the impression that the former President is an ‘alcoholic.’ The party further issued a statement demanding an apology and retraction from the Abuakwa South MP.
However, in response to the NDC’s statement, the former Minister for Works and Housing explained that he only touted the “fantastic qualities of Alhaji Dr. Bawumia”.
To substantiate and clarify his position, the Abuakwa South lawmaker argued that “I never said former President John Mahama is a drunkard. Where is he gleaning that meaning from? If you see the whole story, what I was saying is that we are very blessed to have a very cultured man as an economist and Ghana has never had an economist as President.
“What is the bonus is that the man is very disciplined and he doesn’t drink any alcohol. And I wouldn’t retract from that. These are facts,” he added.