Dr. Tony Aidoo, the Head of Policy Monitoring and Evaluation at the Presidency, has praised the flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC) for his participation in the final IEA presidential debate held Wednesday night. According to him, though Mr. Ayariga was unwell, he was able to show up at the debate to display his prowess. Hassan Ayariga had initially indicated that he was pulling out of the debate because he was down with malaria but he changed his mind after members of his party implored him to attend. During the debate, Ayariga fell intermittently into uncontrollable coughing fits, which some analysts, including those of the opposition NPP, believe were not genuine. The NPP has since accused him of being hired by the NDC to distract its flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, during the debate, alleging that he coughed only when Akufo-Addo was speaking and that the noise must therefore have been deliberate. However, speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Thursday, Aidoo described Hassan Ayariga as the most courageous of all the candidates. “Though he was suffering from flu and coughing intermittently, he was able to come. After all the hullabaloos of whether he will come or not, he represented so his courage for me is commendable”. He asserted that Hassan Ayariga treated Ghanaians with respect because he did not come to tell lies as other candidates had. He described Ayariga’s appearance and demeanour as fantastic, adding that President Mahama performed well.