The National Democratic Congress (NDC) claims it is unconcerned by critiques of its 2020 presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama’s, “do or die” remark.
It claims that, despite intense pressure on the former president to withdraw his statement, the remark was made without malice.
Following John Mahama’s declaration that the NDC would be more attentive during the 2024 general elections, there has been considerable criticism.
Mr. Mahama later defended his remark, saying that it was an idiomatic expression and that he would neither retract nor apologize.
Siding with Mr. Mahama, the NDC’s chief scribe said, Mr. Mahama was stressing the importance of party members doing all possible to safeguard the party’s interests in the upcoming elections.
“What has Mahama done wrong? I think people want to disrupt us from the good things we are doing. When we say ‘do or die’ assignment, it means you must use all your energies to do something, I don’t see how this is problematic unless for those who do not understand or fail to understand the obvious. He was communicating in the English language. And in the English language, there are idiomatic expressions. Whoever does not understand it, may look it up in the dictionary. It is the Queen’s language.”
Arguing further in favor of the party’s leader, Asiedu Nketiah also believes that the provocative remark is being exaggerated.
“We don’t think this should be something people should be worried about at all. So if no one is interested in destroying the results, why should that statement scare anybody? I don’t see why people should make a fuss about this thing at all. I am so surprised about this hypocrisy. People are trying to make mountain out of a molehill. If someone has issues with this, he should go and blame his English teacher, he should not be worrying us”, he added.
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