We'll not debate a liar – Asiedu Nketiah reacts to calls for presidential debate

Chairman for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has stated that his party will not participate in any presidential debate ahead of the December 2024 presidential elections. According to him, such debates are completely worthless exercise that would not serve any meaningful purpose.

Speaking on PM Express on Thursday, August 15, 2024, Asiedu Nketia outlined his guiding principles, stating that he avoids debating individuals he considers either “idiots” or “liars.”

It is a completely worthless exercise. So we don't think that it will serve any purpose at all. And we will not waste our time on debating Dr. Bawumia or Napo or anybody. Because you see, if you have watched me throughout my particular life, there are two people I don't debate. There are some people you hear, they will be making noise about me, some could be insulting me, and so on,

I say I will not engage them in a debate. The reason my guiding principles are two, don't debate an idiot and don't debate a liar. So any of these two, who tempts me for any debate, I ignore them, he stated.

He clarified that while he does not necessarily label any specific presidential candidate as both, he firmly believes that engaging in debates with those who fall into either category is futile. According to him, debating a liar is particularly pointless because “they believe in their lies,” making it impossible to win such a debate.

No, I'm not saying the two must fit one person, but when you look at the two categorisations, you see that he (Bawumia) is a liar, not one, something nobody can contest. I'm not too sure whether he's an idiot, but at least I'm sure he's a liar, he stated.

The decision to not debate has been agreed on by the party.

He further mentioned that this stance was not solely his own, but a collective decision made after thorough deliberation within the party. He revealed that despite former President John Mahama’s inclination towards debates, he agreed with the party’s position after considering the arguments presented.

It's not just for me. It's a proposal we made and we sat on it and agreed that we are not going to debate a liar because it has been said by ancient sages that never debate a liar because they believe in their lies.

Asiedu Nketia also criticised the New Patriotic Party and the Dr. Bawumia for making unrealistic promises, such as distributing mobile phones, which he believes are not feasible. This, he argued, further justifies the decision to avoid debates with individuals who make such claims.

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