Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President-elect and Dr. Mahumadu Bawumia, Vice-President-elect
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), for three consecutive times, has presented one ticket in the personalities of Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, a distinguished lawyer and a banker cum economists of no mean status respectively. In the year 2008, the pair led the presidential race in the first round but lost marginally in the second round. The NPP, despite that narrow defeat, still reposed its trust and confidence in Nana Akufo-Addo in 2010 and re-elected him as the flagbearer of the party for the 2012 general elections. He in turn re-affirmed his confidence in Dr. Bawumia as a partner for the race. The outcome of the elections is history not in the electoral sense, but the advanced form of rigging which took place and was shown to the whole world during the elections petition at the Supreme Court. Nana Addo offered himself to lead the NPP once again in 2014 primaries of the party, he won convincingly and for the third time, he chose Dr. Bawumia as his running mate.
The significance of these co-incidences baffles the mind of the ordinary observer of the political landscape. What is in Nana Akufo-Addo that the party has on three consecutive times elected him among other very prominent and distinguished party people to lead the party? It is important for the public to also note that the electoral colleges in terms of the people who voted at each time had never been the same in any of the three elections. The party structures below, from the Polling Station Executives, the Constituency Executives, Regional Executives and the National Executives are elected at their various levels before the primaries for the Presidential candidates take place.
Some, if not many, of the old party executives at all levels are replaced by new ones at all levels before the presidential primaries, yet the party for three consecutive times elected Nana Addo out of the other distinguished personalities from the party. In my view, his confidence in the party has been founded on his commitment and impeccable dedication to the philosophy and ideology of the party. His personal belief in the rule of law and natural justice has guided his social, political and professional lives as an individual.
His patience and respect for the hierarchy of the party structure, founded on principles and party discipline has endeared him to the generality of the party faithful. He was the Director of Campaign for Prof. Albert Adu Boahene during the 1992 presidential elections. After the 1992 Presidential elections, which obviously was rigged in favour of the NDC, the minority parties boycotted the Parliamentary elections amidst serious protests. The NPP did not fight from the bush, the party expressed its observations in a book titled the ‘STOLEN VERDICT’. The lead author was Nana Akufo-Addo. He was still patient, he did not participate in the post 1992 primaries which elected Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor as the flagbearer. He still played no mean role in the 1996 general elections which saw an alliance between the NPP and the PCP.
When things did not go the party’s way, he offered himself for the flagbearership of the party in 1998 alongside many other distinguished personalities of the party. The party retained Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor once again in Sunyani. Nana Addo overcame the initial frictions just after the elections by dealing with the problem internally. He supported the Kufuor campaign which saw the party taking power from the NDC in the year 2000.
He still shelved his ambitions to lead the party in 2004 elections since he believed that President Kufuor had done so well that there was no need for the party to change him. Indeed, the phrase ‘so far, so very good’ was coined by Nana Addo at an annual meeting of MMDCEs at Nkawkaw in 2003. He is indeed a patient man. The knowledge by many that, his Law Chamber has also churned out hundreds of very brilliant lawyers in this country, whose contributions towards ensuring the rule of law, the attainment of human rights and social justice endears him to Ghanaians far and near.
The second question is, why has Nana Addo also chosen Dr. Bawumia as his running mate for three consecutive times which never received a single objection from the National Council all these years? Dr. Bawumia, a hitherto unknown person to many Ghanaians, had his name resonating in the world of finance when he became the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana. Politically, the Bawumia of political history had been Alhaji Mumuni Bawumia who happened to be his father. So why has he been the preferred choice of Nana Akufo Addo in his quest to change this country for the better?
Good governance hinges on the rule of law, transparency, accountability, and participation in the main. Nana Addo is a known believer in the rule of law. He is transparent in everything he does, he is the only public officer in the history of this country who has publicly stated that ‘I am not corrupt, I have never been corrupt and I will never be corrupt’ and no one has contradicted him. For one to have these attributes, that person has to be accountable in his dealings with the public. Good governance requires the respect for public institutions and structures and there is no doubt that Nana Addo will ensure that.
Next to the above, is efficient husbanding of the nation’s resources driven by very good policies which will ensure that fiscal policies of the government are geared towards enhancing productivity in all spheres of our national economy. Businesses at all levels of economic activities must be such that the operators do their work with less stress, plan their activities within a stable economic environment that is predictable and produces results. The monetary policies of the Central Bank must be supportive of the private sector such that credit to individuals and corporate bodies are available and affordable for businesses to grow.
A nation’s economic development does not depend so much on how wealthy it is, even though being wealthy is very much welcomed, a nation which does not manage its resources prudently is bound to live in poverty and deprivation. Ghana, a nation with the potential to rise and compete with other nations classified as developed countries, is now crawling to be considered as a middle income level country. Dr. Bawumia over the years has been able to diagnose the very causes of the current economic strangulation the people of this country are going through. He has over the years cautioned the outgoing government on its policies and predicted the outcomes of those policies. The economic prophet that he is, all his predictions have come to pass.
Dr. Bawumia, has not just exposed the economic mismanagement the Mahama administration has taken this country through, he has proffered workable solutions to salvage the economy and get Ghana to work again for the benefit of our generation and the generations yet to be born. He has endeared himself to the business community in the country with the assurances that good fiscal policies, ably supported by effective monetary policies of the Central Bank, the business environment of the country would rise and be competitive in the business world.
Government expenditure will be managed in a manner that all sectors will benefit from what is due them so that the system will operate efficiently as a whole. Public resources would not be expended with blatant disregard for the basic rules and regulations governing public expenditure. The financial health of this country will be restored and insulated from crookish create, loot and share contractors who do not care about the future of this country. Ghana will rise again. It is therefore not coincidental that the duo, Nana Akufo Addo and Dr. Bawumia, have come into our lives this time.
They told Ghanaians what they can do for the nation by way of programmes and policies to create jobs for the teeming youth whose aspirations do not seem to see a translation into practical achievements under the NDC. They listened, business people believed them, farmers trusted them and all Ghanaians expressed their confidence in the duo. The rest is known to all. Sweet victory.
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