Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has admonished former president John Dramani Mahama for his ‘do or die’ comment.
Mr Mahama had stated that the 2024 polls will be a do or die affair.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo has enrolled thugs and hooligans into the security services ensuring elections in the country are forced to go his way.
“We have learnt our lessons from happenings during the 2020 polls. The 2024 elections will be won or lost at the polling station. It will be do-or-die at the polling stations. The right thing must be done during the polls.
He has since received backlash from Ghanaians and politicians alike with some calling for outright apology.
Defending his stance on Moonlite FM in Sunyani on Wednesday, September 8, Mr Mahama said the comments were harmless and “those who don’t understand English should stop the school interpretation”.
“In English, we have idiomatic expressions. Those who dropped out of school do not understand idiomatic expressions. Do or die means a critical assignment you have and you must do the needful or perish. And so you must do the needful,” he stated in English, changing tongue to Twi by saying: “I meant NDC must not wait to go to the Supreme Court again. What we must do at the polling station and collation center must be done!”.
Reacting to it, Manasseh said Mr Mahama is deviating from the tolerant man he is known to be.
According to him, the idiomatic expression he is defending could be seen as an idiotic expression which could be a recipe for violence in the 2024 polls.
He further insisted that the NDC were careless if not stupid the the 2016 and 2020 elections.
“John Mahama, you don’t need violence to win the next election. You and the NDC only need to be told the bitter truth. The NDC was careless (if not stupid) in the 2016 and 2020 elections. You could not account for your votes.
“I heard you explain that what you said was an idiomatic expression. You’re a communicator, and I know you are well aware that the words we speak have denotative and connotative meanings. To the average angry and desperate party fanatic on election day, a “do-or-die” charge at the polling station is a vague and deadly war chant. Your idiomatic expression could be heard as an idiotic expression and translated into violence,” part of Manasseh’s Facebook post read.
Source: GhanaFeed.com