I won’t chase traders for COVID-19 loan if I win, says Mahama
John Mahama offers his assurance to traders that they will not be obliged to pay back a government stimulus loan under an NDC government
The presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has told traders and beneficiaries of the state’s COVID-19 stimulus package to ignore false claims that an NDC government would require them to pay back any money they borrow.
Describing the claims as “lies” and “cheap politicking”, Mahama said no trader will pay back the COVID-19 stimulus package if he wins the 7 December presidential election.
Addressing the chiefs and people of Doryumu on Tuesday during his five-day campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, he said certain elements in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) were peddling lies about the NDC and threatening beneficiary traders with repayment of the package.
“They are giving money to traders and saying it is a loan to support your work, but if you vote for us and NPP stays, we won’t collect it. But if John Mahama comes, he will collect the money back.
“Me, too, I won’t collect it. So, any money they give you, take it. It is free money. Me, too, when I come, I won’t collect it,” he said.
Mahama said it is the NDC government that established the Stabilisation Fund to cater for emergencies such as COVID-19, adding that an NDC government will not chase any beneficiary trader for the money.
Cheap politics
He said it is cheap and unfortunate that the government is trying to use the stimulus package to score partisan political points, especially as the money accumulated in the Stabilisation Fund under the Mahama government.
Mahama said the Akufo-Addo government cannot buy the votes of Ghanaians after “failing to honour the promises it made to Ghanaians in 2016”.
He urged voters to dismiss the NPP in the 7 December 2020 general elections and bring back the NDC to “work hard to provide jobs, implement free primary health care and create opportunity for all Ghanaians, not a privileged few”.
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