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The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has said he and former president John Dramani Mahama were against the decision for the party to withdraw from the Ayawaso West Wougon by-elections in 2019.

According to him, the party’s chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, had reached out to him about his decision for the party to pull out but he vehemently disagreed with the decision.

Speaking in an interview with Oyerepa TV, Asiedu Nketiah denied claims he endorsed the Chairman’s decision to pull out of the by-election after the death of then-incumbent MP for the constituency, Emmanuel Agyarko.

“He called me and he admits that he called me but what he is economical about is that he never told the press was that when he called me, I objected vehemently that he should not take that decision.

“He must have consulted President Mahama but president Mahama called me and said the chairman wanted to take this decision, where was I and I should not allow that decision to be taken. So, it was very clear that he was warned not to take that decision,” he said.

General Mosquito added that someone who shifts blame is not a right leader.

“So if you go around and say you consulted people and fail to state that you consulted them but they opposed to ‘my decision because I thought it was in the best interest of the party’... If you had done that you won’t have any problem but a leader who shifted blame, I don’t think is a right type of leader.”

In January 2019, the National Democratic Congress withdrew from a by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency.

The decision was announced in an interview on Accra-based Peace FM by the national chairman of the party, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.

It came after four people were allegedly shot at the Bawaleshie polling centre.