Deputy Spokesperson for John Mahama's campaign team, Beatrice Annan, has firmly announced that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer will not participate in any presidential debate organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).

Madam Annan explained that the flagbearer, John Mahama, is unwilling to share a stage with the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who has previously labelled Mahama as incompetent and failed to engage the media on the current state of the economy.

She stated, “I want to make it clear that John Mahama will not partake in any IEA debate. Our candidate will not share a platform with a candidate who has disparaged him. The NPP has a pattern of using unprintable terms against Mahama, and we will not accept this. His achievements are evident and do not require a debate for validation.”The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has set October and November as the dates for the presidential debates for selected flagbearers.A Presidential Evening Encounters slated for September will precede the debates which will be held in Kumasi and Accra.A Presidential Debates Committee is being constituted “to determine the ground rules to govern the debates and evening encounters, and also solicit questions from Ghanaians.”

The IEA debunked the notion that it was doing the bidding of any political party, stressing that it “will continue to provide a neutral platform for healthy contest of ideas.”

The information was disclosed after the Mahama 2024 Campaign issued a sharp rebuke to the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) Ghana following its announcement of a presidential debate ahead of the December elections.

In a statement, the campaign criticized the IEA for failing to engage or inform the National Democratic Congress (NDC) before making the announcement. The NDC, one of Ghana's major political parties, says it was taken by surprise by the IEA's plans.

Watch the video below:

Our flagbearer, John Mahama, will not participate in any debate organized by the IEA, and this is official - Beatrice Annan, Deputy Spokesperson for John Mahama's campaign team#TV3NewDay pic.twitter.com/1tnW0a3Ifq— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) August 8, 2024