Physician, author, and politician Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy has stated that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is in a weaker position and thus needs a debate more than the National Democratic Congress' John Dramani Mahama.

According to him, polling for this election shows that the NDC flagbearer, John Mahama, is currently in the lead.

• Read also: Bawumia challenges Mahama to a live debate on economy, governance and policies

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has dared the former President and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, to a live presidential debate to explain their respective visions and policies to the people of Ghana.

This call comes not long after the campaign team of the former president rejected calls for any presidential debate.

Addressing thousands of his supporters on Wednesday night in Bunkpurugu, Northeast Region, Dr Bawumia said he was eagerly awaiting a debate with Mahama, but he was less optimistic that would happen because Mahama is "running away."

Speaking on the JoyNews AM Show, Dr Kennedy said, "I think that these exchanges of the debate confirm the fact that even within the campaign, that is their view. And if you compare it to other places, for example, in the US in 1976, Gerald Ford agreed to debate his challenger because he thought he was behind. In 1980, Jimmy Carter agreed to debate Regan because he thought he was behind, and even in Ghana in 2008, the NDC people wanted the debate more, and actually, a lot of the public did not know it, but Nana Akufo-Addo was reluctant to debate.

He said that Akufo-Addo feared all opposition parties would unite against him.

 “In general, the people who call for debate tend to need it more.”