The General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie has described President Mills’ declaration of peacefully handing over power in 2017 as an exhibition of arrogance of power. According to Mr. Afriyie popularly known as Sir John, a President mills who is being touted as humble and God-fearing cannot boastfully declare 2012 as forgone conclusion hence his thoughts for 2017. Speaking on Asempa FM’s current affairs programme kukurantumi, Saturday he hinted that whether President Mills likes it or not, he will hand over power to the opposition leader Nana Akuffo Addo if he wins. He cited that for the two terms of the former presidents (Rawlings and Kuffour) they handed over so he does not understand why President Mills is not emulating that from his predecessors. He noted that any well meaning and peace seeking Ghanaian will attest to the fact that President Mills’ declaration was unfortunate and disheartening. He stated that the vivid meaning of the statement is that president Mills will not hand over power even if he loses the election 2012 but will do that in 2017. The NPP general secretary called on civil society, the clergy and Ghanaians to be vigilant before, during and after the 2012 elections to avoid the president holding on to power if he loses. He hinted that by this statement from the president, it has exposed their own clandestine plans to skew the elections in their favour. He took a swipe at the president’s warning to agitators saying that the NDC is haunted by its own shadows. “What President Mills could do to prevent violence in the 2012 elections is to ensure there is free and fair elections’’ he added. Lawyer Owusu Afriyie told asked Ghanaians not to rely on President Mills’ promise that election 2012 would be free and fair. He emphasized that President Mills is just a man of many words and little actions. The NPP would resist any attempt by the ruling NDC to skew the election 2012 in their favour as the president is now looking beyond 2012.