Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) for the Bolgatanga East constituency, has taken a strong stance against what he describes as a negative and unprofessional election campaign by his opponent.
He explained that while he typically refrains from engaging in personal attacks during political contests, the nature of this year’s race has compelled him to speak out against his challenger.
Speaking on the Daybreak Upper East show on A1 Radio recently, Dr. Ayine, expressed disappointment with the conduct of this year’s rival. He accused his opponent of making inflammatory and unfounded accusations.
“The people that I campaigned against in 2016 and 2020 were what I’ll call orthodox candidates—people who were refined in the way they conducted politics. This time around, we don’t have that type of candidate. We have an unorthodox candidate who is all over the place, and if I tell you some of the unprintable things he says about me, you’ll be shocked. That is why sometimes I need to come down hard on him and his party,” he stated.
Dr. Ayine alleged that the NPP candidate has resorted to calling him a thief during the campaign—a claim he vehemently denies. He categorically stated that throughout his career, both as a legal practitioner and a politician, he has maintained a strong sense of integrity and has never engaged in corruption or stolen from the public purse.
“I have been trained and brought up to be very honest, and for me, integrity is very important in politics. I have never stolen in my political life. There has been no occasion when I have followed anyone executing a contract to take a percentage. If you ask my executives, anytime they say, ‘A contractor is doing something; can’t we ask for some?’ I say no,” he said.
The MP clarified that he did not leave a lucrative career to enter politics in order to engage in self-serving behavior. “I did not leave my lucrative job as a legal practitioner, consultant, and university law lecturer to come to Bolga East to waste my time or engage in self-aggrandizement.”
He reiterated his commitment to upholding principles of honesty and transparency in both his professional and political life, emphasizing that he has never sought personal gain from any contracts or projects within his constituency.
Dr. Ayine also questioned the credibility of his opponent, accusing him of being a “self-confessed thief” who publicly admits to dishonest behavior while attempting to tarnish others’ reputations. “Currently, I don’t know how he steals, but he himself is a self-confessed thief because he keeps telling people that he is a thief. He’s also telling people that I’m a thief, but I’m not a thief,” he remarked.
He expressed frustration with the negative campaigning, stating that such tactics drain energy from the political process and are unnecessary for a healthy democratic contest. “That kind of negative campaign saps your energy. It is not necessary,” he said.
The MP stressed that his focus remains on serving the people of Bolgatanga East with integrity and dedication, and he remains committed to addressing their needs, despite the mudslinging tactics employed by his rival.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Gifty Eyram Kudiabor|Bolgatanga|
