President Akufo-Addo has taken aim at Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, an independent candidate in the Ejisu by-election who previously ran on the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) ticket in the constituency.

According to the three-time Ejisu MP, the NPP intends to rig the by-election in order to keep the late John Kumah’s seat.

However, in a harsh reaction, President Akufo-Addo warned the independent candidate against using falsehoods in his bid for a return.

Speaking at the NPP’s penultimate rally before the by-election on Tuesday, April 30, the President expressed indifference to the former NPP MP’s choice to leave the party.

He also asked the Ejisu electorate to dismiss any of his assertions.

“When he beat the incumbent MP, who was also a Cabinet Minister, did the NPP rig the polls in his favour? So, why is he suddenly claiming that we would rig the polls just because he lost to someone else? “Is this fair?” he inquired.

The President also targeted anonymous persons or groups who he claimed were influencing Mr Owusu Aduomi.

He predicted that they would fail in their quest to take the seat of the NPP.

“We strongly reject any independent candidate whose past is unknown to us. We don’t know if important persons are influencing their decisions. We refuse to accept this. It is not something we will accept.

As a result, the President asked Ejisu voters to turn out in large numbers and vote for Kwabena Boateng, the NPP’s candidate.

He believes that only the party’s candidate has the authority to advocate for growth in the area.

Again, he underlined the importance of the party having a majority in Parliament.

“We need a parliamentary majority. You’ve seen the difficulties we confront as a result of our existing parliamentary representation.

“Therefore, even if it’s just by one vote, we need a majority to carry out our mission. Kwabena Boateng would cast the crucial vote, he claimed.

Meanwhile, Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi’s campaign is closing up, and his supporters are walking through the streets of Ejisu, encouraging voters to vote for him.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), will launch his political campaign on Monday, April 29, ahead of the December general elections.

According to a press statement issued by Dennis Miracles Aboagye, Director of Communications for the Bawumia for President 2024 Campaign, the flagbearer will start in the Eastern Region and go to all sixteen regions over the following month.

According to the announcement, Bawumia would meet “a wide range of stakeholders, including traditional leaders, the clergy, the youth, traders, drivers, farmers, students, and visit businesses, including marketplaces to interact with both traders and consumers” during his journey.

Ghanaians have been asked to welcome Dr Bawumia on his trip, as he has “shown in these eight years that he has more integrity, discipline, focus, ideas, and solutions than his main opponent [John Dramani Mahama] showed in his 8 years as Vice President and President.”

“It is without doubt that, Dr. Bawumia has proven to be Solutions-oriented and remains committed to finding more solutions to Ghana’s challenges if given the nod as President in the December 2024 elections,” the statement read in part.

Below is the full press statement.

NPP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DR. MAHAMUDU BAWUMIA BEGINS NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN

The 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, will officially kick off his presidential campaign for the December 7 general elections with his first nationwide tour from Monday, 29 April 2024. Dr Bawumia and his campaign team are promising an issue-based campaign, one that will focus on cogent, practical, and tailor-made ideas to deal with issues that are most dear to the Ghanaian people.

Beginning in the Eastern Region, Dr Bawumia and his campaign team will visit all 16 regions over the next month in this first round of campaigning. On his rounds, he will meet with a wide range of stakeholders, including traditional leaders, the clergy, the youth, traders, drivers, farmers, and students and visit businesses, including marketplaces to interact with both traders and consumers. The candidate will
engage the media, hold town hall meetings and continue with his regular stakeholder engagements with the Ghanaian people.

Long before his election on November 4, 2023, and since then, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has been very active in undertaking broad consultations and interactions with various groups across the country. Apart from fulfilling his busy schedule as Ghana’s most active ever Vice President, the 2024 NPP Presidential Candidate and the Party leadership have utilized these recent months to put the structures, personnel, logistics and programmes in place to embark on a very comprehensive, inclusive, constructive, and impactful presidential and parliamentary campaign.

As we enter the active phase of the 2024 Election campaigning, Dr. Bawumia is buoyed up by the strong backing from our party’s grassroots and the growing enthusiasm and confidence resonating throughout the entire party. This burgeoning energy signifies our preparedness for the activities that lie ahead in the upcoming contest.

For us in the NPP, the 2024 race is all down to three key things.

The Battle of Ideas and Character:

As Ghana moves into the next phase of our development, it is more important than ever to elect a leader that holds himself to the highest standards, a man of character, performance, work ethic, vision, programmes, wisdom, decisiveness, self-discipline, integrity, and a very high credibility. It’s indisputable that in this regard, Dr. Bawumia emerges as the most formidable candidate.

Dr. Bawumia has shown in these eight years that he has more integrity, discipline, focus, ideas, and solutions than his main opponent showed in his 8 years as Vice President and President.

It is without doubt that, Dr. Bawumia has proven to be Solutions-oriented and remains committed to finding more solutions to Ghana’s challenges if giving the nod as President in the December 2024 elections.

The Battle of Records:

There is no denying that there have been global economic challenges, and as a party, we recognize the hardship that this global tragedy has presented to all Ghanaians and the world at large.

It is, however, important to remember and highlight the many achievements of the NPP government in these seven years in constituencies and communities and to not allow anyone to rewrite the history of the previous NDC government. While we are confident, we don’t have to rely on confidence alone; the numbers clearly show that the NPP government has consistently outperformed the NDC government and that it has done so despite historically unmatched global challenges.

As we remind the public of our accomplishments, we clearly understand 2024 is more about the future of our country, and the vision Dr. Bawumia has for her.

The Battle of Effective Campaigning:

As we set out to campaign for the presidency and the future of this country, we stand united and energized on a common platform.

It cannot be overstated how determined and hardworking our 276 parliamentary candidates and all our campaign teams, especially the Electoral Area and Polling Station campaign teams, are. We rely on them; we stand on their shoulders as we rise together. This party was built on the very idea of unity, and unity is what bonds us together as we build a future of possibilities for Mother Ghana.

The big issue for 2024 comes down to the two personalities. Which of the two main candidates will Ghanaians want as their next leader after 2024? The one who was given his chance and blew it through his incompetence or the one who has shown what he can do even as a Vice President and is now asking to also be given the opportunity to show what he can do as President? We are daring the main opposition Party to come to a debate on the two personalities.

Dr. Bawumia’s Campaign invites the Ghanaian voter to focus on the credibility and weight of the policies of each of the two foremost presidential candidates – Bawumia and Mahama. In the next few months, the Bawumia campaign will humbly but decisively address all major issues facing our nation and how, with the current positive turnaround, he intends to consolidate the gains and tackle the outstanding issues head-on if given the mandate in December.

He will also be asking the crucial questions: Which of the two main candidates is saying anything for the sake of power and who is really plugged into what will deepen the transformation of Ghana? Who is equipped to address the employment needs of our young people, and make our private sector more competitive and profitable going into the future? Which of the two main candidates can guarantee the education of our children and the health of our parents.

These and many more questions will be asked and answered by our candidate, as he asks the Ghanaian people to elect him to the highest office in the land.

The maiden national campaign tour, which runs till the first week of June, will have Dr. Bawumia showcasing his innovative ideas for Ghanaians.

Dr. Bawumia will present what he terms “BOLD SOLUTIONS FOR OUR FUTURE” to the nation

Justice Srem-Sai, a constitutional lawyer and member of the NDC, has stated that the longer it takes for the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to find a running mate, the more apparent it becomes that he is struggling to find a match for the NDC’s running mate, Prof Opoku-Agyemang.

That may be depressing, he stated in a post on his X platform in response to the NDC’s outdooring of Prof Opoku-Agyemang on Wednesday, April 24.

“In my perspective, Prof Opoku-Agyemang and Prof Atta Mills have similar communication styles. They would both gaze severely into your eyes, speak profoundly to your heart, stop patiently to give you time to reply in thinking and carry you forward.

“They do not outrun you with rumbly roughy quirky hissy laughter, nor overrun you with oppressive sloganeers, all of which, when combined, are but a sign of insecurity, insensitivity, condescension and evasiveness,” portions of his post said.

Read below the full post…

The longer Dr Bawumia takes to get a running-mate, the more evident it becomes that he’s struggling to find a match for Prof Opoku-Agyemang; and that can be severely distressing. However, that’s not the focus of this post.

Let’s, once again, think about Prof Atta Mills a little bit. One thing that sets Prof Mills apart is the simplicity, honesty, integrity, empathy and courage which his communication – verbal and nonverbal – oozes.

However, the learned Professor of law was even far more impressive in other things. If his communication was phenomenal, his performance as President, briefly though he served, was generationally distinguished.

In my mind’s eye, Prof Opoku-Agyemang shares communication style with Prof Atta Mills. They both would look sternly into your eyes; speak deeply to your heart; pause calmly to allow you space to respond in thought; and carry you along.

They do not outrun you with rumbly roughy quirky hissy laughter, nor overrun you with oppressive sloganeers, all of which, when combined, are but a sign of insecurity, insensitivity, condescension and evasiveness.

Like Prof Mills, Prof Opoku-Agyemang’s attributes go far beyond her communicate skills or style. Her works! Her work as a leader in academia was much one of a kind, as it was first of its kind in our beloved nation, undisputedly.

As a leader in national politics, she is reputed for making the most yield of her budget. The education ministry was transformative under her. She demonstrated a deep understanding of foundational education and invested heavily and wisely in it.

Higher education: she not only protected academic freedom but also promoted it. She resolved conflicts in the sector without victimisation. Where political interest warred with technocratic propositions, she allowed consensus (rather than bullying) to prevail.

History of civilization teaches us this: a nation, no matter how robbed, broke and divided, is stronger with inclusiveness and consensus rather than with hardheadedness and pomposity; openness and honesty rather than deception and distortion.

We know a few things: we know that our nation is broke AF; and, perhaps, also, severely divided – divided along the line of the few haves and the multitude of the have-nots. It is also robbed, both from both within and outside.

So, last night, as I played over Prof’s speech and the thunderous applause which it frequently summoned; when I reflect over her works over the decades, I knew that she has something truly generational to offer our beloved nation.