The Minister for Works and Housing, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has asserted that the Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Mahama, is not comparable to the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, regarding their respective tenures as vice presidents of Ghana.
He emphasized that Dr. Bawumia significantly surpasses John Mahama, who, according to Nkrumah, cannot be associated with any notable policy initiative to advance the nation during his time in office.
In an interview on GHOne TV on Monday, August 19, 2024, which was observed by GhanaWeb, Oppong Nkrumah, who serves as the Vice Chairman of the NPP Manifesto Committee, he was stated that it would be challenging for Ghanaians to identify even a single policy intervention introduced by John Mahama during his vice presidency.
He contended that it is inappropriate to compare Mahama and Bawumia, as the latter boasts a more impressive record of accomplishments during his vice presidential tenure.
Forget the two parties; focus on the two candidates. Both of them have stood on the same scale. Never mind the presidency; take the vice presidential slot. Mr. Mahama has been vice president, and Dr. Bawumia has been vice president of the Republic. Dr. Bawumia today can tell you of over 30 policy prescriptions that he put on the table that are working today. I ask you in all humility, are you able to mention one that Mr. Mahama, as vice president, introduced? You will struggle. That is the first clue that the two men are not the same; it is the first clue that the two men have different competencies and different capacities.
You can choose to brand him anyway, call him names, but the fact remains the fact. When Mahamudu Bawumia had the opportunity to be vice president, he provided over 30 different initiatives. When Mr. Mahama had the opportunity to be vice president, what were the policy interventions that he could boldly say that he assisted his president with? He will struggle to find any. That is the first clue.
The second clue is that when you look at how they both respond to times of crisis… crisis comes, when times of crisis hit, what is Mr. Mahama’s response? ‘I am not a magician to put money in people’s pockets.’ Energy prices go up; ‘he says we need to find more energy because your mobile phones are consuming power.’ When the crude oil crisis goes up, what is Mr. Mahama’s reaction? On the other hand, when crisis comes in the time of Dr. Bawumia, does he say these same things to you, or does he put alternative prepositions on the table on how to fix it? I think it is clear: there is one who, when a crisis comes, will tell you off; there’s another who, in humility, will prescribe an opportunity, and if he has power in his hands, he will implement it.
