The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has declared that John Mahama, the party's flagbearer, will not take part in a presidential debate with Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

He described such a debate as a “completely worthless exercise.”

In his remarks on Joy News’ PM Express, Asiedu Nketia stated that the NDC’s decision is based on the principle of not engaging in debates with candidates they consider lacking credibility.

“If you have watched me throughout my political life, there are two people I don’t debate. My guiding principles are two: Don’t debate an idiot and don’t debate a liar. So, any of these two who tempt me for any debate, I ignore them,” he stated.

He further clarified his position by saying, “I am not saying the two must fit one person, but when you look at the two categorisations, you see that he [Dr. Bawumia] is a liar. That is something nobody can contest. I’m not too sure whether he’s an idiot, but at least I’m sure he’s a liar.”

Asiedu Nketia, affectionately called General Mosquito, shared that while Mahama is interested in debates, the party’s leadership has recommended against engaging with Bawumia because they question his credibility.

“In my capacity as the national chairman, I have made it very clear to our flagbearer that we are not going to engage in a debate with a liar,” he disclosed.

Dr. Bawumia, the NPP flagbearer, recently invited Mahama to a live presidential debate, accusing him of avoiding the chance to participate.

“I am looking forward to a debate with John Mahama on the economy, on the country, on governance,” Bawumia said.

However, Asiedu Nketia dismissed the challenge, pointing to Bawumia’s history of unmet promises.

“It has been said by ancient sages that you should never debate a liar because they believe in their lies, so you can’t win a debate against a liar. So don’t waste your time going into it,” he responded.

He criticized Bawumia’s recent promises, such as the proposal to supply mobile phones to every Ghanaian youth, describing them as unrealistic.

“He’s assuming that all of us are fools. Calculate how long it will take to pay for one mobile phone. When you are born today and you buy a mobile phone, you will grow up and die when you haven’t finished payment. Is that the type of person you are going to engage with in a debate?” he questioned.

Asiedu Nketia also highlighted that, in his view, debating Bawumia would be futile because “80% of what he said in previous campaigns has not happened despite winning political power.”

He added, “It tells you that he either assumes that Ghanaians are not intelligent, so you can just tell us anything and you can get away with it. We are not going to be part of that… he should go and debate his own records and what he has said in the past.”

The NDC Chairman concluded by stating that although he regards Nana Akufo-Addo as more credible than Bawumia, he believes Bawumia has completely damaged his own credibility.

He used a vivid metaphor to describe the situation: “If you have a pig in mud, don’t go and be fighting that pig. It will draw you into the mud, and the two of you will mess yourselves up.

“And when somebody is coming out, he won’t know who is the pig and who is the human being. So don’t go in; allow him to swim in his own mud.”