Dr. Mustapha Hamid
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Dr. Mustapha Hamid, has described Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the “man with battle scars” whose front line battles were known and therefore preferred him to all the other flagbearer aspirants.
Dr. Hamid, who disclosed his preferred candidate in an interview with a section of journalists after casting his votes at the party’s headquarters Saturday, where National Executives, past executives, current Executives, CEO’s among others voted, said he made that choice as a result of the Dr. Bawumia’s ability to take on the opposition NDC without fear.
“I voted for the person who has battle scars, you see politics is war without bloodshed, when you are going to war, you are looking for a general who has battle scars, scars to show for their front line battles so you vote for the candidate who has been in the front line of the NPP fight, real fight which takes on the NDC,” he said.
Dr. Hamid said there were some aspirants who describe themselves as gentlemen but have never criticise the NDC especially John Mahama.
Such aspirants according to him, were not capable to lead the party hence has never hidden his preferred candidate from the public.
“We want people who are not afraid to take on the NDC, in any event my vote is not a secret, I will not vote for anybody apart from Dr. Bawumia, I have said it on radio, I have campaigned for him and I am telling you he is the only one John Mahama will run from in a debate,” he added.
He was also optimistic of a victory for Dr. Bawumia on November 4, given the number of officers of the party that voted.
Touching on several flagship programmes of the NPP, including the Free SHS, he said the quantum of investment made by the government in all sectors of the economy were visible for Ghanaians to compare with that of the opposition NDC considering the resources available to the NPP government.
“For the first time in Ghana, we have a lot of volume of export over imports.
People are talking about roads, and what did Mahama do? From Nkrumah till now, did you ever see an interchange in Tamale, is it not under NPP that you are seeing an interchange, you have seen the inner city roads, did you ever see a road network of the volume and quantity that you are seeing in Tamale,” he pointed out.
Dr. Hamid also mentioned how former President Mahama has continuously failed to admit the failure of the NDC to add to the economic growth of the country but still believes he would eventually be voted once again into power by Ghanaians due to Mahama’s assertion that Ghanaians have ‘short memory’.
It is not possible for all 32 million Ghanaians to have short memories, there are those of us whose memories are not short who will remind the rest of the people that we were importing plantain, now we are exporting it, we were importing maize, now we are exporting it,” he noted.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah