The spokesperson to the president and minister for government communications, also member of parliament for Abura Asebu Kwamankese, Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu has stated that among the flagbearer aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), former vice president Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be the NPP’s weakest candidate, should he be presented as presidential candidate for the party in the 2028 general elections.
Hon. Kwakye Ofosu emphasized that he does not doubt Dr. Bawumia’s chances of winning the race for flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party. However, he emphasized that Dr. Bawumia’s track record with the immediate past government will be his biggest hurdle.
“The one who is likely to win, Bawumia, will also be their weakest link in the 2028 elections.”
The presidential spokesperson argued that Dr. Bawumia will always be associated with the poor economic performance of the government he was second in command of, noting that he will always be held accountable for the hardships of the period of their governance.
“For as long as this economy does better than what they left, Dr. Bawumia will struggle to convince the people of Ghana that he has what it takes to run this country. You see, he himself is a bundle of contradictions.”
Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, The Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications
Hon. Kwakye Ofosu noted that the economy has been the main subject of conversations as far as Dr. Bawumia’s introduction to party politics is concerned.
He emphasized that at the time Dr. Bawumia was even nominated as running mate to former president H.E. Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo Addo in 2008, “he did not even have an NPP membership card.” Yet his nomination was justified by his economic prowess.
“Maybe in 2008, he was a bit less pronounced. But in 2012, he started holding public lectures to demonstrate his capacity in economic governance. Indeed, in 2016, President Akufo-Addo was clear in his statements that he had gone for Dr. Bawumia because of his economic prowess and that he was going to hand over the management of the economy to him.”
Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, The Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications
He noted that when they took over power in January 2017, Dr. Bawumia was hailed for the economic gains of the early years of their eight-year governance, as he was made head of the Economic Management Team (EMT).
Contradiction in Principles
The president’s spokesperson noted that Dr. Bawumia engaged in what he terms a contradiction. Emphasizing that he has tried to take credit for all the positive aspects of his party’s governance but distance himself from the negatives.
“When they came to power, he sought to take credit for every gain that was made in the economy. Yet, the moment the economy turns out, he tries to distance himself. So, it raised serious credibility problems for him in the eyes of the Ghanaian electorate.
“For as long as he remains active in politics, he will always be associated with the economic downturn that proved disastrous for the average Ghanaian.”
Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, The Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications
He noted that some policy initiatives that are said to be the brainchild of the former vice president, such as the gold for oil program, the zipline drone delivery system, and the interoperability system, are among a total number of 33 policy initiatives supposedly championed by the former vice president.
However, he emphasized that when it comes to issues like the depreciation of the cedi, Domestic Debt, Exchange Programme, (DDEP), and the overall “collapse of the economy,” there is an attempt to distance the former vice president from it, making the argument that he did not have the capacity to do certain things.
“He was not the president, but he says that he introduced interoperability. He wasn’t the president, but he says he introduced zipline drone delivery. He was not president, was he? He was not president, but he says he introduced it.”
Hon. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, The Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications
Hon. Kwakye Ofosu argued that since Dr. Bawumia was presented to Ghanaians mainly to champion economic improvement, he will always be held to those standards.
He further argued that given the sharp improvement in the economy of Ghana since the new administration took over from Dr. Bawumia and his boss, it will always be difficult for Dr. Bawumia to convince the Ghanaian electorate that he is a better manager of the economy.
He therefore noted that as long as the economy continues in its current trajectory, Dr. Bawumia will have no chance of being a worthy alternative to take over from this government.
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