Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has openly accused former President John Mahama of avoiding a presidential debate in the lead-up to the December 2024 elections. According to Dr. Bawumia, Mr. Mahama is reluctant to participate because he fears having his record as President scrutinized.
Dr. Bawumia, who is expected to face Mahama as one of the primary candidates in the upcoming election, has extended a public challenge for a debate. However, the former President has yet to accept the invitation.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Dansoman, Accra, on Monday evening, August 26, Dr. Bawumia reiterated his challenge, emphasizing that Mahama’s avoidance of the debate stems from a desire to avoid having his past performance exposed.
“The former President knows he cannot compete because, in every sector of the economy, the records show that we have performed far better than him,” Dr. Bawumia told the enthusiastic crowd. “That’s why I challenged him. If he believes he performed better in any sector, he should come for an open debate. But he is afraid, so he is running away from it.”
Dr. Bawumia further asserted that Mr. Mahama is evading the debate because he is aware that his “bad record” during his tenure will be highlighted. “He won’t come for the debate because he knows his bad record will be exposed. If he comes for the debate, I will show him something,” Dr. Bawumia added, to cheers from the gathered supporters.
In his speech, Dr. Bawumia criticized Mr. Mahama’s presidency, pointing to issues such as the four years of persistent power outages (commonly referred to as “dumsor”), the alleged inability to provide basic school supplies like chalk, his opposition to the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) program, and the cancellation of allowances for teacher and nursing trainees.
“We have not forgotten all these bad records. We are moving forward. We are making progress with digitalisation. As President, he couldn’t provide chalk to schools, but we have provided laptops to senior high students. This is the progress the country has made, and we want to move forward and make it even better,” Dr. Bawumia concluded, positioning his party’s achievements against the backdrop of Mr. Mahama’s administration.
The challenge for a debate and the criticism of Mr. Mahama’s record are part of the broader strategy by the NPP as they gear up for a highly competitive election season, with both parties seeking to win over voters with their contrasting visions for Ghana’s future.
Source: GhanaFeed.Com