Akufo-Addo always calls me a Thief:Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has denied attacking the person of his main contender in the elections, Nana Akufo-Addo on the campaign trail adding that, Nana Addo and his team attacked him first.

According to the president, such claims are unfair since he has rather been castigated by Nana Addo and the NPP over the years.

President Mahama, who is seeking a second term, has apparently made the character of the NPP flagbearer the centre of his campaign.

He has criticised Akufo-Addo for "sleeping" during his tour of the Western Region when he said roads in the region are in a bad state

He again attacked Akufo-Addo's character at a rally in Bimbila in the Northern Region, describing him as a "dictator" and a "divisive" figure.

He further told voters the NPP flagbearer is too "dangerous" for the destiny of the nation to be entrusted into his hands.

But speaking on Good Evening Ghana on Tuesday, President Mahama said that “for four years he [Akufo-Addo] has described me as incompetent, for four years he’s described me as visionless, for four years he’s described me as a thief. He says when I come to power I won’t steal your money what does that mean? It means I am stealing Ghanaians’ money.

“I’m a politician and I know it’s an occupational hazard; sometimes to have your opponents vilify you so I don’t take it as anything,” the president said.

The president sustained attack on the NPP leader follows a bitter internal party politics which led to the suspension of three national executives and the death of the party's Upper East Regional Chairman of the party.

The NPP has subsequently criticised the president for targeting Nana Addo for attack.

But President Mahama believes the main focus of the NPP flagbearer should be to unify the party ahead of the elections.

“He should learn to accept criticism, I do, people insult me, vilify me, I don’t utter a word. And so when I say you cannot unify your party so you cannot unify Ghana and I think that the kind of president Ghana needs at this stage in our history is one who can bring us together. And so you must prove a track record that you can bring people together and most people do not think that he can do that,” he said.