Former President John Dramani Mahama has clarified his remark about a ‘do or die’ situation.
Mr. Mahama claims that his political opponents twisted his comment to make him look bad in the eyes of the Ghanaian people.
This follows a petition sent to the Criminal Investigations Department by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) calling for the former president to be arrested and prosecuted for allegedly inciting members of the National Democratic Congress to foment trouble during the 2024 elections
The NPP petitioned the police to charge Mahama and NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah with treason and offensive behaviour.
Mr. Mahama stated prior to the 2020 general elections that the NDC will go toe-to-toe with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) if the NPP continues to intimidate NDC members with hoodlums and vigilante groups.
He also stated that the upcoming 2024 general elections will be a ‘do or die’ situation for the NDC.
However, ex-President Mahama assured party supporters in the Eastern Region on April 12 that the NDC will not shoot or butcher people to death during the 2024 elections.
He insisted that the NDC must win the 2024 general elections.
We are not going to joke in the upcoming 2024 general elections. That’s why I said it’s a do-or-die affair. I made these comments and some people have twisted my words saying I meant we will be butchering and killing people with cutlasses and guns. No, that’s not the ‘do or I die’ I meant. Do or die means the election is very crucial one for NDC to win, so we will not joke with it. It doesn’t mean that we will beat people with sticks and kill them,” Mr. Mahama explained.
“When he was asked during a media interview what he meant by ‘boot-for-boot’ and ‘do or die”, and whether with the benefit of hindsight, he would want to retract those incendiary comments, John Dramani Mahama insisted that he meant what he said and that he was never going to retract,” Nana B as he is affectionately called added in the petition.
On the part of Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Nana Boakye said he has repeatedly “threatened fire and brimstone” to ensure the victory of the NDC in the 2024 general elections.