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I will be more accountable to Ghanaians because I will face the people again after 2024- Dr. Bawumia
The Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has said that if elected into office as President, he will be more accountable to Ghanaians than his main contender, former President John Mahama, whom he said, will not be accountable to the people because he will not seek re-election.
Speaking at the NPP International Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, March 23, 2024, Dr. Bawumia explained that having never been president before, he will be more accountable to Ghanaians as President because he will have another opportunity to come before the people and seek re-election, unlike Mahama who will not return because he will be serving just one term in office.
“Apart from my proven track record as Vice President, hard work, credibility and vision for the future of Ghana, another reason I should be voted for is that I will be more accountable to the people of Ghana than John Mahama,” Dr. Bawumia said.
According to him, “As President, I will be more accountable because I will have another opportunity to seek the mandate of the people after 2024. Mahama has just one term and he will not come back to Ghanaians to seek re-elections so he will not be accountable.”
On the 2024 elections, Dr. Bawumia said, Ghana needs a leader with credibility and a proven track record to solve generational problems and corruption, declaring that he has proven to be a problem solver and anti-corruption advocate through policies he has spearheaded as Vice President.
“Ghana needs problem solvers, generational thinkers and people with innovative ideas,” Dr. Bawumia said.
“I am a problem solver and a generational thinker with innovative ideas. I have a solid track record as Vice-President to prove it,” he added.
Dr. Bawumia referred to several policy initiatives he has spearheaded, which he said are addressing generational problems of the country.
The digital national identity system, which he said has addressed the age-long problem of lack of national identity and exclusion; the national property address system, to address the problem of lack of property identity, mobile money interoperability to resolve the issue of financial exclusion and promote a cashless society, digitalisation of public services to promote efficiency and reduce corruption, delivery of essential drugs to remote areas through drones, as well as other policies, including One Ambulance One Constituency, Agenda 111 hospitals.
Dr. Bawumia added that he has demonstrated a stronger commitment to the fight against corruption, as Vice President, than former President Mahama.
He referenced how the digitalisation of many public services is contributing effectively against corruption, which he said is the way to go, and not just paying lip service to fighting corruption.
“What policies did former President Mahama initiate to fight corruption as President or Vice President? If you ask him, he cannot state one because he was not committed to fighting corruption as Vice President and President,” he concluded.
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
