Dr. Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, former Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security under the Akufo-Addo administration, has criticised Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for attempting to distance himself from the party’s failures that led to its defeat in the December 7, 2024 general election.
Speaking as part of his Thank You Tour, Dr. Bawumia attributed the NPP’s electoral loss to several factors, including arrogance of power, the high cost of living, the failure to reshuffle government officials, the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), and the unpopular “haircut” policy under the IMF debt restructuring programme.
He noted that these issues left many Ghanaians struggling under severe economic pressure.
However, Dr. Boakye-Danquah, in a strongly-worded statement, challenged Dr. Bawumia’s narrative, describing it as an opportunistic attempt to absolve himself of blame.
“As Vice President, he had a platform to voice dissent or influence policy but chose not to, only to later claim opposition when it suited his political ambitions.
“This selective distancing extends to the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which caused widespread financial distress, including protests by pensioners,” he stated.
He accused Dr. Bawumia of selectively distancing himself from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which caused widespread financial hardship and sparked protests by pensioners.
According to him, Bawumia’s failure to publicly address the DDEP’s impact, while now implying he was not fully responsible, “reeks of opportunism and undermines the administration’s collective accountability.”
“Bawumia’s failure to publicly address or mitigate the DDEP’s impact, while now implying he was not fully responsible, reeks of opportunism and undermines the administration’s collective accountability.
“His attempt to shift blame for economic hardships, such as the crippling cost-of-living crisis and soaring petrol prices—reportedly increased just three days before the 2024 elections—onto Akufo-Addo’s leadership is particularly disloyal,” he stated.
