NHYIRABA KWABENA ASIRIFI: MAHAMA NEVER PROMISED TO DECLARE STATE OF EMERGENCY ON GALAMSEY

Journalist Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi has challenged claims that President John Dramani Mahama, while in opposition, promised to declare a state of emergency to tackle illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. According to him, President Mahama never personally made such a commitment during the 2024 election campaign. He argues that statements made by some individuals associated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) should not automatically be presented as though they were direct statements or official commitments made by the then presidential candidate. His comments follow President Mahama’s recent clarification that he “never ever said” he would declare a state of emergency over galamsey. The President explained that although a state of emergency is an option available to government, it should be considered only as a last resort. Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi is therefore calling on the NDC officials who made statements advocating a state of emergency during the opposition period to come forward and explain the context of their remarks. He says this would help clarify whether those comments represented their personal views, statements made on behalf of the party, or a position directly attributable to President Mahama. Available fact-checking has found that the NDC’s 2024 manifesto and its 120-day Social Contract did not contain a commitment to declare a state of emergency over galamsey. However, some individual NDC figures and other stakeholders publicly advocated such a measure during the 2024 election period. The debate therefore centres on an important distinction between an individual politician’s public statement, an official party position, and a direct commitment by a presidential candidate. Nhyiraba Kwabena Asirifi says the public deserves clarity on who made the original statements and what authority they were speaking with at the time.