Dr. Richard Amoako Baah, a former head of the Political Science Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Ghana and a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has alleged that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo fully supports the candidacy of his Vice, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to lead the NPP in the 2024 polls.
There were rumours that the President was supporting his vice to run for the party’s presidential elections at the Special Delegates Conference.
However, speaking to journalists, President Akufo-Addo denied the claims and stated that he does not support any of the then ten candidates.
During an interview on The Big Issue on Citi TV, Dr. Amoako Baah rejected the president’s assertions, emphasizing that it has been his modus operandi to say one thing and do another.
“Dr Bawumia is an establishment candidate because of President Akufo-Addo. He’s the leader of the government and the party. He had an undue advantage over the other candidates, primarily because of the support of the president, even though they are all in the same party. The president may say all sorts of things, but it doesn’t matter, we know what is going on. What you are about is not just based on what you say, it’s based on what you do and say. And when you put the two together, you are saying one thing and doing another. And this has been his modus operandi for a long time, so we know him, he’s saying to cover himself. What you do is more important than what you say.”
“He can say whatever he wants. The establishment candidate, Dr Bawumia had an agenda and went full speed, as if this was the real election. The president is looking for someone who will look over his back for him when he’s gone, and they have somehow figured out Dr Bawumia. Because he’s part of the government, this is why they are going full-fledge to make sure Dr Bawumia wins,” he told the host of The Big Issue, Selorm Adonoo.
He decried vote-buying in the election process, stating that the hopes of the vice president getting 70% of the votes were dashed.
“Too much money changed hands. They [Dr Bawumia/President Akufo-Addo] were hoping to get 70%, and they didn’t get it so that agenda is moot. That was the real agenda, but it never came on. There’s a law against vote-buying, yet the president and his cronies are in the forefront of doing that,” he alleged.
Dr. Bawumia secured 629 votes (68.15%) of the total votes cast, followed by Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong who had 132 votes (14.30%). On the third and fourth positions were: Alan Kyerematen and Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto with 95 and 36 votes respectively. Francis Addai-Nimoh and Boakye Agyarko secured 9 votes each.
The party said members of the National Council would be the delegates for the run-off to break the tie between Addai-Nimoh and Boakye Agyarko, and not the entire delegates who voted in the Special Delegates’ Conference.
Boakye Agyarko refrained from the run-off, citing unconstitutional rules.
