The National Propaganda Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Richard Quashigah has accused Nana Akufo-Addo of gross insincerity in his criticism of the Mills-led government. He said the NPP flag-bearer aspirants, and particularly Nana Akufo-Addo, have persistently drawn disingenuous comparisons between the NPP’s eight year record with the 18 months record of the ruling National Democratic Congress administration with the intent of making the NDC unpopular. Mr Quashigah was speaking to Joy News consequent to a press statement he signed and issued in Accra in which he said the NPP aspirants lacked a credible “message for the people [of Ghana] after their eight years of misrule”. Spokesperson for Nana Akufo-Addo, Mustapha Hamid, however rejected Mr Quashigah’s suggestions, maintaining the NPP flag-bearer aspirant spoke to specific issues that bordered on promises the NDC made to Ghanaians and which the government has failed to fulfill. He cited the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) which the NDC promised it will use as a vehicle to bridge the development gap between the northern and southern parts of the country and which was now in limbo. Mustapha Hamid told Joy News’ Steve Anti that despite the government’s promise, nothing visible could be seen of SADA in the northern part of the country almost two years after the NDC administration came into office. He insisted that if Nana Addo raised questions about such an issue, he could not be accused of lying or dishonestly comparing the records of the NPP and NDC. “[Nana Addo] says look, Prof. Mills promised that when he comes into office there will be a downward review of everything - petrol prices, electricity, water, rent, all of that. He asked a rhetorical question, 'have these things gone down?' And the people answered [no].” But the president never promised that he was going to do these things in one or two years, Quashigah shot back. “The point we are making is that, right now, the price of everything is going up and up and up. Nana Akufo-Addo is not a member of the Ghana Employers Association [GEA] for example, that went to the Castle three days ago to tell Prof. Mills that industries are closing down. The President of GEA told him (Mills) specifically that an iron rod company employing about 3,000 people has closed down. Akufo-Addo is not the one saying it,” Mustapha Hamid emphasized. Play the attached audio and listen Richard Quashigah and Mustapha Hamid making their arguments on Joy FM. Read the full statement issued by Richard Quashigah below. NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PRESS STATEMENT 22/07/2010 For Immediate Release NANA ADDO IS NPP’S BAD OMEN The NDC has observed with disquiet a consistent campaign of lies being pursued by a presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo on his tour of various parts of the country. It is grossly insincere if not irrational for the NPP aspirant to compare the NPP’s eight year record with the 18 months record of the ruling National Democratic Congress administration with the intent of making the NDC unpopular. It is clear that the NPP aspirants have no message for the people after their eight years of misrule. Nana Akufo-Addo and his fellow NPP aspirants should tell Ghanaians how they intend to ensure that the chronic corruption witnessed under their guise does not recur if in the most unlikely event Ghanaians give them another chance in 2016. It would be recalled that the NPP government wasted billions of the tax payers money on so called Presidential Initiatives which all collapsed like a pack of cards instead of using such monies to build schools for the over four thousand schools held under trees across the country, a problem which is being addressed by the NDC led government today. The NPP assumes that Ghanaians have forgotten about the way they disingenuously and recklessly spent billions of cedis from the TOR debt recovery levy in inducing some irresponsible, greedy and self centered journalists to do image repairs work for the then NPP led government after realizing that the people had lost faith in it. Are these the kind of things the NPP aspirants want power to continue to do? Or are they seeking the power again to loot the expected oil revenue as they did to other national assets such as Ghana Airways, state lands and the state owned bungalows which they sold to themselves and their cronies for pittance? Or they assume Ghanaians have forgotten how they wasted the tax payers’ money chasing non-existent loans such as the CNTCI and IFC loans in salons abroad and would not heed the caution of the then opposition NDC that they were subjecting Ghana to activities of 419 scam? Was it not during the reign of the NPP that one of their own questioned the source of the display of ugly opulence by people who could not afford common posters while they were in opposition? What about the news of how narcotic drugs were flown in and out of this country under their guise? Instead of the populist rhetoric’, Nana Akufo-Addo and his likes must show some modicum of truthfulness by admitting that this administration is prudently managing the malaise economy they left. Is it not about time these aspirants learn from their mentor Ex President Kufuor, who admitted that it is improper to judge this administration which is less than two years old? Nana, especially has time and again proven that he is not sincere to facts. It will be helpful if he can point the issues that NDC manifesto said would be achieved in two years that has not been achieved? Indeed the one thing that has not been achieved is the prosecution of persons who looted state coffers during NPP’s tenure in office. As a Party in government the NDC can boast of impressive results within these last eighteen months irrespective of challenges and dare the NPP to compare their first three years in office to the NDC’s eighteen months and it will be evident how badly they faired. The NDC has never and would never condescend to the corrupt and mismanagement levels of the NPP; so Nana and his friends should stop struggling to put the NDC in their class of misrule. Nana and Alan are bad news for the NPP but the NPP delegates will make the mistake of voting for one of these two who will be defeated soundly at the 2012 polls. Signed Richard Quashigah NDC National Propaganda Secretary.