The Second Vice Chairman for Suame Constituency of New Patriotic Party (NPP), and a former media practitioner, Mr Richard Akwasi Asante, has described former President John Dramani Mahama, as a liar for claiming Ghana dropped seven places in press freedom in the 2019 World Press Freedom index.

Mr. Asante reacting to former president Mahama’s recent live broadcast, advised former President Mahama, to cease any form of deceptive talk aimed at scoring a political point, adding such claims will help Ghanaians to tag him as a lair, he said.

He argued that, Ghana was ranked 27th, dropping four places in the recent ranking, losing her first position in Africa to Namibia with 23rd and Cape Verde 25th.

He disclosed that for former president Mahama to claim, Ghana became the country with the highest level of press freedom in Africa during his tenure of office, also amounts to a calculated lie, which does not fit him as a former President.

“For the former President to claim Ghana was ranked number one in press freedom during his tenure of office as the president thus from 2012 to 2016 is never true”. Mr Asante said.

According to him, Ghana’s worst performance in press freedom was witnessed in 2013, under Former President Mahama, where it was ranked 30th among 180 countries.

In 2014 and 2015, the Vice-Chairman, disclosed Ghana was ranked 27th, and 22nd respectively among 180 countries.

“I was a practicing journalist during the tenure of Mr Mahama as the President of Ghana and l was interested in the World Press Freedom ranking so he can’t lie to us,” Mr Asante said.

Mr Asante, therefore, called on Ghanaians to turn deaf ears to the claims by the Former President on press freedom adding President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo and former President John Agyekum Kuffour should rather be praised for assenting to the Right To Information (RTI) bill and repeal of the criminal libel law respectively.