For a long time, I have been observing the political activities in the region of my birth from afar without poking my nose into what has been going on, but when a medical doctor, who has been given the opportunity by the sons and daughters of Asante soil to become an MP begins to childishly behave like a first class enemy of the kingdom, then one cannot keep quiet anymore.

Why would someone who is supposed to know better in respect of how court procedures work, go to the extent of throwing dust into the eyes of unsuspecting mass of party people just to achieve unreasonable political goal.

First of all, l believe the vice president, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia, who is trying to contest to lead the NPP, the party that has helped and projected him into the political limelight, and offered him the biggest opportunity to become the vice president on a silver platter, should have been appreciative of what the party has done for him and bow out peacefully with Nana Addo, after occupying the number two position of the party for sixteen good years – eight years as running mate and eight years as vice president.

The Vice President, per his own recent confession in Upper West, when he met some regional officers and constituency chairmen, has admitted he was not interested to contest, but was pushed into the flagbearership race by some greedy party people, including the Akyem Mafia and some Ashanti Region MPs who want be his running mate in a very unlikely event that wins the race.

That should tell any well-meaning party member that Dr. Bawumia doesn’t have the mettle to make independent decision and be his own man, and that the Akyem Mafia, and their cohorts want to keep him as a political puppet for the perpetuation and advancement of their personal parochial agenda.

However, what baffles me the most is that, even though they have pushed him into the ring, they didn’t give him any convincing message to go with. If you have followed carefully the kind of messages Dr. Bawumia and his surrogates have been churning out lately, you would notice that they don’t really have any message that sounds convincing.

In fact, their campaign has been dominated by laughable tales and lies. You just consider how Okyere Baafi, Gideon Boako, Annor-Dompreh and Sammi Awuku have been blatantly lying these days and you would understand what I am talking about. The saddest part is that they don’t even have the courage to campaign on the economy in front of our own party delegates because they know he has failed woefully to manage it as the Head of the EMT.

The recent argument advanced by the MP for Effiduase/Asokore, Afreyie Ayew, that when the party needed someone to mount the witness box in respect of the 2012 election petition, no one said “Aduru me so”. What a mundane and childish argument! Obviously, he was referring to the humble, credible, competent and loyal Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who has become the choice of the grassroots.

Regrettably, this same pathetic assertion was also made by Alhaji Mahamadu himself when he recently met some regional officers and constituency Chairmen in the Central and Eastern regions. When a whole Vice President could make this pathetic assertion, as his campaign message to delegates, then you should know they have seen defeat coming their way.

To set the record straight, the “Aduru wo so” mantra didn’t emanate from Mr. Alan Kyerematen. Alan hasn’t said it anywhere that the delegates should vote for him because it is his time. The man has boldly presented his vision for the country and the party. In actual fact, the “Aduru Wo So” mantra is the mantra of the grassroots. It is the grassroots of the party that is saying “Aduru Alan so”.

Again, per the credible information available in respect of the 2012 Election Petition, the National Council and the National Executive Committee of the Party agreed on four(4) people to present the Petition to the Supreme Court on behalf of the Party, and these people were, Nana Akufo-Addo (Presidential candidate), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia(Vice-Presidential candidate), Jake O. Lamptey of blessed memory (National Chairman) and Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie of blessed memory (General Secretary).

However, Nana Akufo-Addo was supposed to be in the Witness Box but he decided to use his Running-Mate in the person of Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to represent him in the Box, the same way John Mahama also used or delegated Asiedu Nketia (General Mosquito) to be in the witness Box on his behalf during 2020 petition at the Supreme court. This was done in fulfilment of the Article 64 of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

Therefore, it does not make sense for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to use the 2012 Election Petition Case as part of his campaign message to the NPP delegates, who are more concerned about their future than what has happened in the past. In any case, the Party lost the 2012 Election Petition Case after his “You and I were not there” argument had failed to convinced the Supreme Court. The man stood in the box to become the Vice President and he calls that sacrifice? Who was he expecting to go into the box? Nana Addo or Jake, the National Chairman?

When other potential aspirants are alluding to solid sacrifices that date back to 1992 in their campaign messages, all the vice president could tell party delegates was that, I mounted the witness box for the party in 2013, so vote for me to lead the party. He couldn’t have sounded more ridiculous! When it comes to the issue of sacrifice in NPP, the last voice that should be heard is the that Dr. Bawumia. When a man had to cook to eat, he can’t say he sacrificed to eat.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, his wife Samira Bawumia and their NDC and PNC family members have really enjoyed the fruits of their Labour in the current NPP Government. Who in our party doesn’t know that about 80% of government appointees in the 2nd Term of Akufo-Addo’s Government were recommended by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, so that they can mobilize enough resources for his presidential candidate campaign?

The argument made by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his team lacks political sense and correctness. We are really sick and tired of the numerous substandard arguments and lies being peddled by them.

Long live our great party.

Odehyieba Daniel Osei Bonsu
Subin Constituency
Ashanti Region

 

NB. Views expressed by the author are entirely his and do not represent the position of Kasapafmonline.com