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Presidential staffer Dr Clement Apaak says President Mahama does not practise nepotism as was the case in the past under the NPP regime.

He told the Classfm Executive Breakfast show Monday that persons who make such claims are either making them out of ignorance or pure mischief to serve either a personal or the political interest of group of people.

Dr Apaak was reacting to claims by a former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management Public Administration, GIMPA, Prof. Stephen Adei that President Mahama is practising nepotism. He contends that, per his research findings one out of every four of the President’s appointments come from his area of origin.

Speaking at Prempeh Colleges’ Pearson Osae lectures, Prof Adei said the practice must stop immediately.

“This practice will not augur well for national cohesion, especially when Ghana is a unitary state. One of the things going on which is totally unacceptable is about why one out of every four public sector appointment comes from the President’s area of origin. That is totally unacceptable because we are a unified country, we are a country whereby if you take any major group, whether Gas, Ashantis or Ewes you can form a cabinet from it” he emphasized.  

But the presidential staffer said Professor Adei’s claims cannot be supported by the facts on the ground. He said the former GIMPA lecturer should provide empirical evidence to support his hollow claim.

“I am a young and an up and coming academic person and I know that as academics we are taught to back our comments with empirical scientific bases to make it more credible. I am surprised that as an academic Prof Adei will make such a serious statement and not back it with any credible data. This is the kind of things that makes people sometimes conclude that some of the so called academics use their education standings to perpetuate all manner of personal vendetta against people they don’t share the same political ideologies under the cloak of academic context. I think this type of attitude should stop”

Dr Apaak who is also the parliamentary candidate for the Builsa South constituency said Professor Adei has failed to behave as an academic. He said such a statement should have been carefully analyzed before coming out to state it because it is a dangerous comment.

“He claims his statement is derived from some research studied and yet that data hasn’t been made public for all of us to see? The source of the data, when it was authored and by who for all of us to scrutinize. When he says the president is choosing only people who come from his area of origin, is he referring to the entire northern region or where he was born? He needs to come clear on that. Again if your look at all the government appointees we have today, tell me if any tribe has not been left out in the appointment. It’s regionally and ethnically balanced. That’s the kind of president we have. He is a unifier. He doesn’t discriminate based on people’s ethnic or religious backgrounds. So I struggle to get what Professor Adei means unless of course he has anything personal against the president,” the Apaak said.

Professor Adei, a staunch critic of the Mahama Administration has been severally accused by the ruling NDC as doing the bidding of the opposition NPP under the guise of expressing an academic point.

Just recently he stated at the sideline of a public forum that he will be surprised if the Mahama Administration is retained in view of the hardships the government has put Ghanaians through. He said the Mahama-led government had failed to solve the current economic challenges, especially, the erratic power supply which had affected all sectors of the economy within the last four years. He said he doesn’t see the need for Ghanaians to vote for the NDC in this year's elections.