It is increasingly becoming clear that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is nervous of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia winning the flagbearership slot of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the 2024 general election.
With the fear of Dr. Bawumia scuttling their inordinate desire for power, members and agents of the main opposition party are unleashing what have been described as unconscionable attacks and untruths on the Vice President in a desperate attempt to assassinate his character ahead of the presidential polls.
However, the NDC and its assigns appear to be chasing Dr. Bawumia’s shadows as all their bastardisations are not sticking on him following assertions by many influential Ghanaians that the vice president has been the most impactful, competent and unblemished personality in his role as the second gentle of the land.
NDC started its character assassination plot by strenuously making the name of Dr. Bawumia to be synonymous with ‘liar’ in google.
Realising that this is not working among right-thinking Ghanaians, the party through Sam Pee Yalley, who has unenviable record of assassinating the character of Vice Presidents, claimed Dr. Bawumia is a British citizen.
It will be recalled that this same Sam Pee Yalley in the year 2000 or thereabout, alleged without any iota of evidence, that late Vice President Kow Nkensen Arkaah raped his niece, Jemima Yalley.
This reprehensible allegation, even though not proven, largely injured the reputation of the late Vice President among the gullible few.
Speaking on XYZ TV on June 8, 2023, Mr. Yalley claimed records to which he was privy, indicated that Dr. Bawumia had British citizenship when he worked in the United Kingdom for the Bank of Ghana.
According to him, the vice president never renounced his British citizenship and was therefore not eligible to hold public office in Ghana, just like James Gyakye Quayson who was ousted as Member of Parliament for Assin North for not renouncing his Canadian citizenship before filing nominations to contest in the 2020 parliamentary election.
“Do you know that the Bank of Ghana has had an international commercial bank in London for a long time? The Bank of Ghana normally sends directors there, and Bawumia was one of them.
“Now that the Supreme Court has decided that a person who holds dual citizenship cannot be a member of parliament, Bawumia’s record at the Bank of Ghana in London indicates that he is a British citizen. He was a British citizen way back in 2009 before ex-President Kufuor brought him to Ghana.
“He was the director of the international bank, and if you check their records, he wrote that he was a British national. One may ask whether Bawumia was a director of that bank and whether he ever signed that he was a British citizen. If so, when did he renounce it?” Mr. Yalley quizzed in Twi.
But unimpeachable evidence has shown that the NDC kingpin has lied, further discrediting the main opposition party’s tale of fabrications against Vice President Bawumia.
Gideon Boako dismisses claims
Spokesperson for the Vice President, Dr. Gideon Boako, has dismissed NDC’s claims that his boss holds British citizenship even though he is the serving Vice President of the Republic in violation of the 1992 constitution.
Dr. Boako in statement reiterated that the Vice President has never held British citizenship, or any other citizenship in addition to being a Ghanaian citizen in his life time.
He accordingly called on the general public and all well-meaning Ghanaians to treat the claim with the contempt it deserves.
“The attention of the Office of the Vice President has been drawn to a malicious social media allegation that the Vice President holds a British citizenship while holding the office of Vice President, contrary to the laws of Ghana.
“We wish to state in clear terms that Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia does not hold British citizenship and has never held British or any other citizenship other than being a Ghanaian. The allegation should be treated with the contempt it deserves”, Dr. Boako stated.
Bawumia replies NDC
Vice President Bawumia has stated that he would remain focused to achieve results for Ghana despite the series of personal attacks he has been receiving from the NDC.
NDC members, he noted, continue to expose their ignorance and lack understanding of issues, particularly government’s policies and initiatives. This, Dr. Bawumia pointed out, is manifested in the posturing of the opposition party to national issues.
According to him, the NDC has gained notoriety for condemning government initiatives without any basis, largely because they do not believe in possibilities and the prospects of the initiatives undertaken by the government.
Addressing members of the NPP at a Women’s Conference in United Kingdom, Vice President Bawumia said he has resolved to make his work and that of the government counter the numerous doubtful comments and positions of the NDC.
“When you try to move the country forward with new ideas, they mask their ignorance by mocking you, ridiculing you and calling you a liar. But in the process, they only expose their lack of understanding of the issues. My response to them is to stay focused, not get angry but rather make it happen! That is the best victory you can have over the naysayers! Make what they think is impossible possible,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia said notwithstanding the excessive disruptions of government’s development agenda by NDC, “What we have been able to accomplish so far shows that it is possible for Ghana to achieve many things that some believe to be impossible. With what we have done and continue doing in the wake of the global challenges, the outcome, thus far, points to an auspicious future”.
