In a press conference held in Bolgatanga, Salam Mohammed Mustapha, the National Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), raised questions about John Dramani Mahama’s suitability for the office of President. Mustapha highlighted Mahama’s past tenure as President, during which he allegedly failed to provide basic necessities like chalk for schools. Apexnewsgh reports Mustapha pointed out that Mahama inherited a thriving economy with oil resources and no global crises to contend with. However, by 2014, the cedi had become the worst-performing currency, and by 2015, Ghana was forced to seek an IMF bailout. The situation worsened by 2016, with the emergence of the Unemployed Young Graduates Association. According to Mustapha, Mahama had openly admitted to being unable to provide jobs, likening himself to a magician who had run out of tricks. Mustapha criticized Mahama’s leadership as “rudderless and inept,” leaving the country in a state of hopelessness. The NPP Youth Organizer’s statements suggest that Mahama’s past performance raises concerns about his ability to lead the country effectively if given another chance.  PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE NATIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZER OF THE NPP, SALAM MUSTAPHA ON NPP’S YOUTH POLICIES ON 13TH SEPTEMBER, 2024 Good morning, ladies, and gentlemen of the press. The youth wing would like to say thank you for honouring our invitation to this press conference. We are profoundly grateful. This press conference is important in many folds as we intend to speak to the Ghanaian youth on the set of policies that the NPP has for them in our manifesto for the 2024 election dubbed, SELFLESS LEADERSHIP, BOLD SOLUTIONS FOR JOBS AND BUSINESS. The carefully thought through policies are meant to meet the aspirations of the youth of this country and offer opportunities for the development and empowerment of our esteemed youth. As we gear up for the elections in December, it is imperative that we interrogate the issues and make an informed decision on Election Day. In this election the youth dominate the voters roll, constituting almost 70% of voters between ages 18 to 40. The Ghanaian youth must select a leader who represents their aspirations and has the vision to take them to the next level. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, friends and colleagues, this election is a crucial one as we have a choice to make. The race is between two main candidates. The governing NPP is represented by the ever brilliant and dynamic Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the largest opposition party is represented by the perennial failed former president John Mahama. These two candidates are in full gear of their campaigns and have put forward their manifestos which contain the policies that they intend to implement once they get the mandate of the Ghanaian people. It is obvious that the track record and character of these two men will be put to strict scrutiny and should help form the basis of our decision. Fortunately for us, these two are known within our body politic. Ladies and gentlemen, we all know John Dramani Mahama. He became vice president in 2009 to President John Evans Atta Mills. When he was the Vice President he complained of being reduced to attending social functions and ceremonies and yet today he takes credit for infrastructure continued or initiated by President Mill, continued by him and completed by President Akufo-Addo, like the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC). Indeed, John Mahama still holds the title as the only Vice President in our history who was investigated by his government’s own Attorney General for corruption under the instruction of his own boss, President Mills. Vice President John Mahama rose to occupy the seat of the presidency in July 2012 after the sudden of his boss, the President. He continued as president until he lost the 2016 election by the biggest margin in our history, nearly a million votes. I know many of you were, perhaps, too young to have witnessed his time as the leader of this country. But, ask yourselves, from Kwame Nkrumah to Akufo-Addo, how come John Dramani Mahama was the only leader in our nation’s history who was rejected by Ghanaian voters when he went for re-election? Indeed, ask yourself how come he has been rejected twice since Ghanaians tasted him both as a vice president and as president? He inherited an oil rich economy and without any global crisis to deal with he created his own crisis that by 2014 the cedi was the worst performing currency and by 2015 Ghana had applied for an IMF bailout and by 2016 Ghana had seen the birth of Unemployed Young Graduates Association. At some point he gave up and said he wasn’t a magician to provide jobs. He told us that he had ran down the economy and that the flesh was all gone and left with bones. Schools did not even have common chalk! The situation was hopeless. The leader himself, was rudderless and inept. We witnessed his shambolic performance as president which saw your parents losing their jobs or customers because of dumsor. Yes, four years of President John Mahama was four years of dumsor. And, when his government realised that they could become rich merchants of dumsor, they went ahead recklessly to sign excess take-or-pay power purchasing agreements (PPAs) that by the time NPP took over the government of Ghana was forced to pay up to $1 billion a year mainly for power we did not need and we did not use. Some who had to have their PPAs cancelled ended up taking government to arbitration. It was only recently that the Akufo-Addo government managed to convince some of them to accept renegotiated packages. Imagine the billions of dollars wasted on excess power that Mahama contracted and what it could have been used? Is this the president we should bring back for another four years after which he would not be accountable to you? It is shocking that John Mahama still harbours this silly dream of becoming president again. For what