Is Dr. Bawumia homeless?
By Prince HODEDZI
Precisely on September 27, 2024, I made a post on my WhatsApp status, predicting three (3) major outcomes likely to play out after the December 7 Presidential Elections.
Out of the 3 possible outcomes, I predicted: “Should Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia lose the 2024 elections and he decides to contest in 2028 for the position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer, Napo (Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh) will contest him. Napo will win. Dr. Bawumia will become history”.
Grapevine had it that (most) top echelons in the NPP leadership were opposed to the elections of Bawumia as the flagbearer of the party.
However, Dr. Bawumia had the unwavering support of the kingmaker among kingmakers——he had the full blessings of his godfather, (Ex-President) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
What more could Napoleon ask for? An unflinching endorsement from the President of Ghana and leader of the party was enough to see him through the Red Sea—the elephant’s army could not stop him.
In recent days, Dr. Bawumia seems to have found his balls—two I suspect—to openly dissociate himself from the failures of his godfather.
In the same vein, he credits himself for chalked up successes during his godfather’s regime—the irony. Failure has always been an orphan. Some have argued this is a strategic move to bolster Dr. Bawumia’s image, enhance his chances of becoming president in the immediate future.
I am a bit reluctant to fully endorse such a move. Dr. Bawumia, although was running mate and later Vice President on the ticket of the NPP, may not be recognised by a large section of the grassroots as a through and through NPP ‘blood’.
The New Patriotic Party has always been the party of the Akans, and they will always recognise and accept their own—as painful as this may sound. This long standing trait tend to leave Bawumia homeless after jettisoning his (god)father.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is lacing up, seeking to having a second chance of being elected as the presidential candidate of the NPP.
However, aside from the other contenders, once again he is faced with the herculean—almost insurmountable—task to contend with powerful, popular and opinionated personalities such as Kennedy Agyapong and Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh (yet to publicly declare his intention to run for same position).
Dr. Bawumia’s troubles seem not to be limited to the fierce competition from his contenders; he no longer has at his disposal unbridled access to state resources and machinery as a competitive advantage. Dr. Bawumia’s headache is compounded with a seemingly lack of a godfather figure as powerful as Nana Akufo-Addo. On this front, the battlegrounds appear to be levelled.
Therefore, to stand a chance to this bid of becoming president, Dr. Bawumia needs to find a home if he is homeless. Dr. Bawumia needs a godfather, but I dare ask—in this specific instance—whose ring is he going to kneel and kiss?
>>>the writer is a Youth empowerment advocate who serves as head of operations at Codenation 1957(Code57). He can be reached via Princehodedzi@gmail.com and or 0546346870
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