The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on President John Dramani Mahama to put an immediate stop to the politics of tribalism and rather play the role of a unifier as his days get closer to joining the league of former presidents of the country.

"The resort to the politics of ethnic, tribal, and regional incitement and heavy bribery by President Mahama has set Ghanaian politics to a new low, and debases the presidency as a symbol of national unity and integration," the party said.

A statement signed and issued by the Communication Director of the party, Nana Akomea, said in his recent campaign in the north, President Mahama urged Ghanaians in the Northern, Upper East and West regions to reject the NPP on the basis that the NPP was an Akan party which had no respect for the people of the three regions and that it did not seek the welfare of the people of the three regions but used people from the three regions and dumped them.

Crude and backward campaign

The party said by that crude and backward statement, President Mahama had moved from campaigning on the basis of affinity to campaigning on tribal, ethnic and regional incitement of the people of the three northern regions against the NPP and Akans by extension.

"This is a most dangerous and reckless route President Mahama is taking, just in an effort to win elections," the party posited.

Apart from incitement, the statement said, the President had also been engaged in heavy bribery of individuals in order to enlist their support for his bid to be re-elected.

"Recently, Madam Akua Donkor, who is a founder of a political party, and hence a rival to President Mahama, happily told the nation of how President Mahama had bestowed expensive gifts on her, including a house in Accra, and two brand new four-wheel drives,” the statement said.

Bribery and corruption

"Recently, the then head of the Presbyterian Church, Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey, told the world of how government tried to secure his support by offering him a million dollar house at Trassacco Valley in Accra, $100,000 cash and a new four-wheel drive," the party said.

The statement also added that just yesterday they were informed of how President Mahama last month offered Mr Bugri Naabu, the Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, various inducements to secure his support for President Mahama.

The inducements, it said, included over GH¢3 million, two four-wheel drive and large road contract, an advance payment of GH¢500,000. One of the four-wheel vehicles has been delivered.

The statement said in Mr Bugri Naabu's case, he was also required to further the dirty ethnic, tribal, regionalist campaign of President Mahama.

Speak against this

It was regrettable, the statement said, that President Mahama was able to engage in all these heavy bribery and attempted bribery at a time when service providers on the National Health Insurance Scheme had not been paid for nine months, and workers' Tier Two pension payments had not been paid in three years.

"In this one week to the general election, all well-meaning Ghanaians, the clergy, Peace Council, etc. should speak out against the politics of ethnic incitement and division and heavy bribery of the electorate.

"President Mahama himself should let decency prevail in this campaign and stop his slide into ethnic bigotry and bribery," the statement added.

Source: graphic.com