Former President John Dramani Mahama has responded to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s declaration that he will ensure Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia wins the 2024 general elections.
Mr. Mahama noted that while the country is bewildered by huge economic woes under the watch of Akufo-Addo, adding that the President, who he said doesn’t have the locus as a leader to bring back the wheels of the economy to their normalcy for good livelihoods for the citizens, is rather stretching his tentacles to make Dr. Bawumia win the next general elections.
Speaking to the members of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in Accra on Tuesday, November 7, Mr. Mahama reiterated that “he (Akufo-Addo) has run out of ideas on how to solve the economic challenges we find ourselves in. In his recent declaration, his focus and last energy are going to be expended on installing his anointed successor as the next president. We could have avoided this unpleasant [economic] situation; the signs of these crises were there for all to see. The conflicted Finance Minister, whose interest was to borrow recklessly and mire our economy with the quagmire of debt, was obvious as far as 2019.”
President Akufo-Addo had made disparaging comments that Ghanaians could not afford the return of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), especially under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama.
President Akufo-Addo made such remarks in his congratulatory message for Dr. Bawumia winning the flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He commended the fanatics of the NPP for the manner in which they conducted themselves during the polls on Saturday, November 4.
“You have shown that Ghana’s democracy is safe in your hands. I am confident that Mahamudu Bawumia will unite the party with the assistance of Ken Agyapong, Addai-Nimoh, and others to provide us with strong leadership,” he said.
He stressed, “I want to thank every single NPP person for the last 16 years… I have one more task to do, and that is to use all my strength and energy to help Bawumia win the elections of 2024.
“Ghana cannot afford the return of the NDC, especially under the leadership of John Mahama. The election will not be easy, and we need unity.”
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has won the presidential primaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after being officially declared the winner by the Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC).
He secured a total of 118,210 votes out of 193,346 to become the winner.
His votes represent 61.47 percent of the total valid votes cast.
His closest rival in the contest was Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP) Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who polled a total of 71,996 votes, representing 37.41 percent of the vote, to place second.
Former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, polled 1,459, representing 0.76 percent, to come in third.
He was followed by former Mampong MP Francis Addai-Nimoh, who polled a total of 781, representing 0.41 percent.
Per the results of the primaries, the Vice President will lead the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) into next year’s general elections.
People believe the contest will be fierce, as Dr. Bawumia will be contesting a former president, John Dramani Mahama, who was elected last December as the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The two have faced off on several political campaign platforms, but in different capacities in their political pursuits.
In the run-up to the 2008 elections, they were both running mates. Dr. Bawumia was assisting Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, while Mr. Mahama was assisting the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills, who won a third vote in Tain Constituency to win the elections.
In the 2012, 2016, and 2020 elections, Mr. Mahama led the NDC, while Dr. Bawumia remained a running mate to Mr. Akufo-Addo.
Come 2024, the two will face off as the presidential candidates of the two major political parties in Ghana in what many have described as critical in the history of Ghana—a candidate seeking a return and one seeking to go a notch higher on the political ladder.
By Lawrence Odoom
