The youth wing of the National Democratic Congress in the Greater Accra Region has "respectfully" inquired from President Nana Akufo-Addo whether he was "expecting us to use bread knife from Mrs Akufo-Addo’s kitchen for the clean-up exercise" they recently undertook at former President John Mahama's residence in Accra instead of the machetes they were seen brandishing, which the president has condemned.

"If that was the case, what stopped him from sending any of his wandering elephant-size presidential staffers to make them available to us?" a statement signed by Amorse Amos Blessing, Regional Youth Organiser, said.

It was a clapback to the President’s remarks that: "It is my honest hope that the machetes and weapons brandished last week at the residence of the NDC’s presidential candidate, the former President John Mahama, are not signs of things to come in the run-up to the 2024 elections elections".

The president then warned: “If it is, I can assure them that they will find no success with them". 

"I want to state for the record that under my watch, no person or group of persons no matter their political colouration, will destabilise our country nor destroy the peace that all of us are enjoying", he noted, stressing: "It will not happen".

However, the NDC says: "If there was, and still is any Ghanaian who poses a threat to our democracy ahead of the 2024 election, it is President Akufo-Addo himself".

They said under President Akufo-Addo, eight Ghanaians were killed by "state-sponsored brigands" who are "gleefully walking the streets" because they are part of the "militants" the president said were on the NPP's side when his party was in opposition.

They added that the president’s "belligerent posturing emboldened thugs to attack ASP Nanka Bruce at the Jubilee House without a word from him".

The NDC youth are of the view that the president has demonstrated, through his actions, that he is "enmeshed in hooliganism" himself.

They warned: "This time round, nobody would fold his arms and call on civil and moral society to condemn President Akufo-Addo and his trigger-happy thugs when they strike, kill and maim NDC members. In the 2024 elections, if the NPP comes with peace, we shall embrace them with peace. However, if they come the other way round, we will meet them squarely".