It’s too late to claim ownership of Free SHS – Ben Ephson ‘punches’ Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama’s claim over Free SHS cannot win him power come December 7 because it came too late, Pollster and Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch Newspaper Mr. Benjamin Emmanuel Ephson has said.

“Mahama trying to claim ownership of the Free SHS won’t make any impact, he laid the claim rather late”. Mr. Ben Ephson said this in an interview with GBC’s radio programme “Behind the News”.

According to him, the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress John Mahama’s claim to have been the brain behind the flagship programme has rather come as a shock to the citizenry.

“But people would be wondering that if you introduced it in 2016 and there are videos of you criticising it, perhaps two years ago you would have explained your position but to claim ownership about two weeks to elections I don’t know how they (electorate) will take it”, Ben Ephson told Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng host of the show.

What exactly did John Mahama say about free SHS

Mr. John Dramani Mahama has said the Free Senior High School (Free-SHS) programme was started by his NDC government in the year 2015 before handing over power to the NPP.

The Former President has also repeatedly said the current government of Nana Akufo- Addo poorly implemented the programme, which compelled them to adopt the double-track system, and that he would abolish it when voted into power.

“We started the programme and the NPP came and continued it. Unfortunately, the implementation has been very poor, and so it ended us on the double track. I assure you, my countrymen, that within one year, I will cancel the double track,” Mr. Mahama stressed at Tuobong, a community in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region. Mr. Mahama said in one of his campaign tours in the country.

He has also promised that when voted back into government, all the Community Day Schools his government started would be completed so that all the children can get schools to attend.

Meanwhile, Ben Ephson in a survey announced that President Akufo-Addo will win the 2020 election with 52.6% and the leader of the NDC, John Mahama to come second with 45.7%.