Dr. Bawumia, A Disappointed Symbol of Northern Hope – Mathew Atanga

Opportunities are said to arise only once in a lifetime. This means that when a grown man is presented with an opportunity to excel in life and fails, he may never come across such an opportunity again.

Growing up in Kandiga, a town located in the Kasena-Nankana West district of the Upper East region, I was expected to embody certain values as a male child. Honesty, assertiveness, and principled behaviour were virtues instilled not just within my family but also among male children throughout that area of Ghana. I believe this practice holds true for other parts of Ghana as well.

Dr. Bawumia, Vice President of Ghana who hails from Walewale in the northern part of Ghana, would have been raised with similar moral upbringing which one expects him to uphold. He probably got a better form of it since he was fortunate to come from an elite home. As a Muslim, it is anticipated that he would have imbibed more upright values from teachings found within the Holy Qua’ran.

Regrettably, however, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has demonstrated clear signs of being adrift on these principles. Indeed, his conduct can be likened to a spent layer wandering around with nothing left in him. It is sad, but that is the bitter reality.

Let us recap some incidents where Dr. Bawumia fell short and failed to exemplify what is expected from every bold and fearless northerner – honesty and integrity.
1. When there was debate over the passage of the E-levy (which many saw as detrimental), his voice was completely absent, indicating support for its approval since no dissenting views were offered by him at the time. However, quite recently, when he desperately needed to detach himself from the monumental failure of his own government, he promised to cancel the E-levy in the unlikely event that he becomes president. That was shameful, to say the least! A well brought up son of the North would have registered his disagreement and made the same known from the onset.

2. Most importantly, the issue of the LGBTQ+ bill and its related issues. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has, until now, declined to make his position on the matter public. A Muslim he is and yet can not use his office as vice president to support his fellow Muslims who have through the National Chief Iman made their stand clear on the matter. If this is not shameful, then what else is?

To every morally sound minded Ghanaian, especially those originating from the North, let us view Dr. Bawumia as nothing more than wasted potential – lacking honesty and integrity we hoped he possessed. This would have been something Northerners could take pride in having their son champion a cause aimed at safeguarding human dignity. Unfortunately, Dr. Bawumia can not be trusted nor taken pride for failing to lead such worthy cause.

For him to even contemplate becoming a president, he smacks of a poodle who woefully fails to do self-assessment of himself. He is a coward and lacks principles. He appears unfittingly immature a person when compared against the hurdle of leadership that comes with being president.
Let’s vote against him!

Long live Ghana!
Long live NDC!

Written By:
Mathew Atanga
NDC Kintampo South Const. Communication Officer
Tel: 0247144224