Feature: Was Dr Bawumia Groomed Up To Lose The Elections?

In 2008, the then NPP flag bearer, Nana Addo, had wanted Hon. Halima Mahama to be his running mate. For reasons, based on male chauvinism and dislike for women by women, many of the party gurus expressed disapproval, not withstanding President Kufuor’s promotion of women in his administration and Ghana.

On the day to finally announce his flag bearer, Nana Addo made it clear that if his second choice was also rejected, he would not entertain any opposition to his next choice. He then mentioned Dr. Bawumia, a non-NPP member from the socialist bloc of the NDC. Hell, almost broke loose. Bawumia’s father, Mumuni, was someone no member of the UP Tradition will want to remember with admirations.

Leaving the UP to join the CPP on the visitation of Kwame Nkrumah, Mumuni Bawumia spread false information about some of the UP members, especially Dr. K.A. Busia who had to extend his stay abroad for his own safety. With the PDA in force, Busia would not have the privilege of going to court to defend himself.

After some heated debate, Bawumia was accepted and immediately Article 13 (3 i)of the NPP Constitution which demanded that anyone to be running mate should have been an active member for at least five years, was waived and Bawumia was given a membership card.

Earlier in 2007 at Legon, Nana Addo promised that Alan Kyerematen was to be the next flag bearer after him.

However, as things turn up, Nana Addo failed to fulfil his promise and for some reasons, Alan was branded an “enemy” by the Institution and almost all the members of the Electoral College did not like him.

After three attempts, Nana Addo finally won elections in 2016 and was sworn-in, as president in 2017. He made Alan one of his ministers.

Then between 2017 and 2018, some speculation texted the waters that Ken Ofori-Atta was going to succeed Nana Addo. Internal opposition to this, dimed the plan.

Before that in the 2016 General Elections, due to the way Paul Afoko, Sammy Crabbe and Kwabena Agyapong prepared the party for elections, insisting on no imposition of candidates, even though they were kicked out before the elections, the NPP won 169 seats in Parliament.

In government, Nana Addo did some remarkable things during his first term. Free SHS, creation of new regions, with low youth unemployment and inflation rates registering single digits. For the first time, in many decades, Ghana recorded trade surplus.

But why did this not show in the 2020 General Elections, when the party lost thirty-two seats in Parliament to be a par with the NDC with 137 seats each?

The main problem which put people off with the NPP, even including party members, was Nana Addo’s insistence on imposing his choices as parliamentary candidates on constituencies. This broke the unity of the party at the grassroot and disappointed NPP members voted the other way.

The unexpected results demanded enquiries and Hon Yaw Sarfo-Maafo was made to lead a committee to do that job. Moving out of the party comfort zone, the committee was told things as it was, without fear of any human, not even the president.

After the report was compiled, NPP members were waiting to know what made the party lose so much grounds. Unfortunately, they were told the report was too explosive to be revealed. The question is, who is being protected, here?

So, obviously the mistakes were continued to be arrogantly committed making the party sink further during Nana Addo’s second term.

With the base of the party firmly divided, it could be very obvious that whoever was going to be flag bearer will come out having problems with his own party members. As it turned out Dr. Bawumia became the crown prince to succeed Nana Addo. Apart from problems coming from within, he was put on hot coals regarding his responsibilities as vice president.

Reports came out that even though he was the head of the Economic Management Team (EMT), his opinions and recommendations were never accepted. For example, in 2020 he came out to openly discard the idea of taxing financial transactions, but come 2021, E-Levy was introduced. This broke the confidence the people of Ghana had in him and his government.

Nana Addo told Ghanaians that he opted for Bawumia to tap his knowledge of finance and economics to govern this nation well. Unfortunately, with the introduction of neck-breaking taxes andfinancial hair-cuts which deprived bond and savings account holders of some of their earnings among others, people turned to accuse Bawumia of economic mismanagement.

Even, though, as vice president, he did not have the mandate to implement any of his opinions or recommendations except if the president accepted them and does so by his constitutional mandate, every wrong economic issue was hanged on him.

The NDC members, who were very clever, kept reminding Ghanaians that it was Bawumia who made life difficult for them. No one mentioned the president, Nana Addo.

While by 2022, most people close to NPP, either as supporters or sympathisers, knew that December 2024 was going to be very difficult, pride, arrogance, impunity and vainglory was the garment worn by most of those in the corridors of power. This turned people off. One of such, was when an executive officer of the party, Nana Boakye, could publicly disrespect Alan Kyerematen.

Someone who was barely eleven years in 1992, when giants like Alan were sacrificing their all to build the NPP, could do that, might have started raising questions among people of whether the NPP was united, calm and full of respect within, to be fit to form government in 2025.

Meanwhile, the grassroot of the party started observing some acts of dictatorship, when polling station executive elections came up. For the first time in the history of the party, Ghanaians got to know that there was something called internal elections at the NPP grassroot bases.

The elections were shrouded in confusion, violent clashes and naked rigging, as the Institution, made sure that those who had nomination forms were those carefully picked to do its bidding at all times. So, many of the NPP supporters deserted their party from their hearts.

All these made Dr. Bawumia’s chance fade away with the speed of light. What finished him off was when Alan finally left the party. Many were those who saw the NPP as a party not well organised and not fit to lead Ghana.

In the end millions of NPP supporters simply refused to go to the polls. They disliked their own party and would not vote for it; neither would they vote for Alan because they were not sure whether he could make an impart in the elections. Rather to go out and vote for the NDC or any other party, these noble people stayed away.

The question is, why should Nana Addo and the Institution push Bawumia into the presidential race to be slaughtered? If Nana Addo had not gone around imposing officers and candidates on the party and had performed well as he did in his first term, NDC could have been history, by now.

In 2008, Nana Addo and the Institution created disunity in the party and NPP had to fight two run-offs before succumbing to defeat. In 2024, he and the Institution made things so impossible for Ghanaians including a third of NPP supporters to believe that the NPP should never be given the chance to break the eight.

Talking to a prominent NPP guru, who served as cabinet minister in the Kufuor administration, he said NPP lost in 2008 because of mismanagement by Kufuor in his second term. I am yet to find him to ask what happened to NPP in 2024.

Some of the ex-president’s public utterances went further to muddy the NPP’s already polluted waters. Asking the youth in Ashanti region, the NPP’s stronghold, who threatened not to vote for the party if their roads were not fixed, to freely use their thumbs to vote for the NDC, for all he cared, was not the best.

And also, to tell the people of Tongu that he was not obliged to visit them when they were struck by natural disaster, because they never voted for NPP and to some traditional leaders from Ekumfi that since they voted out his MP, they should not expect any development, clearly showed that H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was not interested in an NPP victory in 2024.

It looks very obvious that the Institution would want to establish itself in the party and always decide what is done in it. Allowing Alan or Kennedy Agyapong to become flag bearer was too risky, most especially if they go on to become president.

The only one to sacrifice and make sure he loses the elections was Bawumia. He was vice president and manager of the economy of this country, so if the economy fails everyone will blame him. And the economy did fail, irrespective of the wonderful infrastructures built around.

With Bawumia now out of the way, the Institution with monies made will literally buy the party as slaves are bought and it will pick one of its members to become flag bearer in 2028. This could be the reason among others to be brought to you soon, of how internal decisions made the NPP to lose.

By Hon. Daniel Dugan

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