Dr. Gideon Boako, the Vice President’s spokesperson, has asserted that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the best to unify the NPP if chosen as the party’s nominee for the 2024 elections.
He stated that the Vice President is not running for President to amass wealth but rather to change the course of the nation and not to dip his hands into the public coffers.
The spokesperson of the Vice President avowed that Dr. Bawumia has been the most significant figure in Ghanaian politics thus far in terms of ideas and a vision, which he claimed can be shared by all.
“Politics has moved to politics of ideas, so you need such visionary leaders who have organized themselves well and committed themselves. You can see through them that they are not into politics to amass wealth for themselves but they are into politics to ensure that things work.
“That has been the Vice President, working to make sure things are done properly. The people see him to be a unifier.”
Dr. Gideon Boako
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Boako said, must capitalize on the gains it stands to make in its strongholds if the Vice President is chosen to lead the party in the 2024 elections. He also touched on the tribal cards being played by some of his rivals.
According to him, Bawumia’s status as an NPP candidate who is not from the Akan region has its advantages because, while people in that region will not be pressured to vote for Bawumia because he is from the North, they also will not be pressured to vote for former President John Dramani Mahama because he is from the North as well.
“You are able to consolidate your gains in your strongholds. Then you leave Dr. Bawumia and Mr. Mahama to fight in the strongholds of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) where they both come from.
“And see whether or not your candidate will have a competitive advantage over the NDC in his own backyard. That is where the strength of Dr. Bawumia comes in. Dr. Bawumia has been able to exert a lot of influence to the advantage of the NPP in the North.”
Dr. Gideon Boako
Paperless Port Not Kyerematen’s Idea
Dr. Gideon Boako vehemently refuted assertions that Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, a former Trade Minister, was in charge of the Paperless Port policy.
According to Dr. Boako, Dr. Bawumia alone, not any other person, should be given credit for the Paperless Port effort. His remark is in response to Nana Ohene Ntow, a former New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, who claimed Alan Kyerematen should receive credit for the effort.
Dr. Boako, however, referred to Ohene Ntow’s remarks as false and stressed his ignorance of political matters.
“He [Ohene Ntow] has no idea, ignore all those comments. No need to respond…all of them are lies, don’t listen to some of these things. Nana Ohene Ntow is never close to the government, he doesn’t even know what happens in government.
“I don’t know why they are trying to take credit for something that they didn’t actually participate in. In all the meetings we had with the people of the port and freight forwarders, he [Alan Kyerematen] was not part of. In terms of digitalization, I honestly didn’t see the interplay of Alan Kyerematen.”
Dr. Gideon Boako
Dr. Boako further emphasized that participants from various nations attended conferences hosted by the Vice President to discuss the Paperless Port program. He however made it clear that Alan Kyerematen was not present at such conferences.
“Let’s ask ordinary Ghanaians who they associate the Paperless Port with. I don’t need to get into it because of the internal elections. I was with the Vice President when he paid an unannounced visit to the port, it was when we went there that he made that policy initiative.
“He [Dr. Bawumia] said he will visit them, identify himself with the issues and then bring the policy out, he then brought the Paperless Port. We held a two-day conference on Paperless Port in Ghana, inviting people from Belgium, Dubai ports, and all the best ports including Singapore.”
Dr. Gideon Boako
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