'My gov’t will not respect Agyapa deal' - Mahama

Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has restated his decision not to respect the Agyapa Mineral Royalties agreement when he is voted back into power, come December 7.

The former President said an NDC government will abrogate the agreement, and has therefore urged government to desist from signing the deal.

Addressing the chiefs and people of Kaleo, as part of his tour of the Upper West Region, Mr. Mahama said the attempt by government spokespersons to justify the Agyapa deal in the name of a 2011 proposed Ghana Gold Company is both inaccurate and disingenuous.

He said the proposed company was 100% was intended to be owned by  government and the people of Ghana, adding that it had no planned secret beneficial owners.

According to Mr Mahama, the Agyapa deal is shrouded in secrecy, its beneficial owners are unknown, and it seeks to “monetise Ghana’s gold royalties for the next 15 years and even in perpetuity without the consent of the people of Ghana”.

He added “civil society and right thinking Ghanaians have all expressed misgivings about this Agyapa deal”.

The NDC flagbearer said government should back down from signing the deal because “we will do everything legitimately in our power to oppose the agreement and make sure it doesn’t happen”.

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But the Majority Leader in Ghana's Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, has said Mr Mahama’s public utterance on the Agyapa agreement depicted signs of tyranny and dictatorship, since the deal was agreed to by a majority decision in parliament.

“You want to be a tyrant or you want to be a dictator who will not use the Constitution to govern the country,” Kyei-Mensah quizzed in an interview on Adom News.

The Suame legislator, said Mr Mahama criticisms of the Agyapa Mineral Royalties agreement was unfound and disappointing.

Justifying the work by Parliament, Mr Mensah Bonsu insisted that the agreement is in the best interest of the country.