Must we wait till January 7 for handover? Why can’t they just go now - Barker-Vormawor

Private legal practitioner and activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has publicly expressed his desire for the outgoing New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, led by President Nana Akufo-Addo, to leave office before their constitutional handover date of January 7, 2025.

Barker-Vormawor, a vocal critic of the Akufo-Addo administration and co-leader of the #FixTheCountry movement, shared his frustrations in a Facebook post on Sunday, December 8, 2024. Reflecting on the just-ended elections that saw the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, John Dramani Mahama, emerge victorious, he questioned the necessity of waiting another month for the official transition.

“Do we really have to wait till 7th January for handover?” he queried. “Why can’t they just go now. No one needs their handing over notes. Who will read it?”

Barker-Vormawor has had a contentious relationship with the Akufo-Addo government, which he accuses of persecuting him vindictively. He has faced multiple legal challenges, including charges of treason felony, for which he remains on trial.

In a separate recent incident, Barker-Vormawor was detained for over two weeks alongside other members of the Democracy Hub pressure group. Their arrest followed a protest in Accra demanding an end to illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.

Meanwhile, the NPP’s presidential candidate, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has conceded defeat in the December 7, 2024, general election. He described the victory of John Mahama and the NDC as “decisive.” The Electoral Commission is currently finalising the official results of the polls.

Barker-Vormawor's remarks underscore the mounting impatience among some critics and opposition supporters eager for the NDC to assume power amidst what they perceive as the outgoing government’s waning legitimacy. The NPP's government for the past eight years has seen Ghanaians experience severe hardship, extremely high cost of living, corruption, arrogance and abuse of power among other things.

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