Former President, John Dramani Mahama has said that he does not regret describing the 2024 elections as a ‘do or die’ election which the National Demoncratic Congress (NDC) must fight with all its might.
The 2020 Flagbearer of the main opposition political party has come under intense pressure and criticism for saying that the NDC would not file a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the results if the party doesn’t win the polls.
“We were clearly robbed but we accepted the verdict for the sake of peace, but I want to state here that the next elections would be won or lost at the polling station. So at the polling station, it will be do or die. I am not saying all die be die. I’m saying it will be do or die because the right thing must be done.
“We will do everything to ensure that the election is free and fair. We will not cheat the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and we don’t expect anyone to cheat us either. Let the elections be peaceful and fair,” he added.
This comment has been widely condemned with his critics comparing this comment to the ‘All Die Be Die’ comment which was made by the then President, Nana Akufo-Addo while in opposition.
He has therefore said that he is not interested in retracting the comments as according to him, the comment has been misconstrued by persons who does not have great command over the English Language.
He further said that the ‘Do or Die statement’ is an idiomatic expression which means a critical assignment which one moust do the needful or perish.
“I don’t retract, the next election is a do or die affair for the NDC so we must do the needful. You must be at the collation centre and make sure the right thing is done, don’t abdicate your responsibilty at that level and then expect that and then expect that after somebody has stolen the election, you’ll go to the Supreme Court and then expect that somebody will see if they will turn the elections for you, they won’t do it. So I don’t retract [the comments] it’s a do or die affair…,” he said on Moon Lite FM.
He however asked his critics to stop comparing his comments to the ‘All Die be Die’ comments made by President Akufo-Addo.
“It’s different from All Die Be Die [because] all die be die is a broken English, I mean a broken jargo which we all speak but [anyone who does not agree with me] can go and open the dictionary and check…,” he added.
He tasked the NDC, to ‘man the polling station, they must man the collation centres, make sure the pink sheets are correct, make sure we get the right results and everything…’ if they seek to have the right results declared by the Electoral Commission.
Former President John Mahama also indicated that he is not ready to file any petition at the Supreme Court if he loses the 2024 as a Flagbearer of the NDC.
“Maybe someone else will be the flagbearer but when I become the NDC flagbearer, I am not going to the Supreme Court, we must win at the polling station and at the collation centre [so] that the Electoral Commission will have option but declare who the true winner is…,” he said.
Watch the former President’s full remarks below:
