Following Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia’s announcement to abolish three contentious taxes introduced by the current administration, the NPP, discussions have arisen regarding his apparent attempt to distance himself from the government’s unpopular decisions.
While opposition figures have underscored this move, members of the ruling party maintain that the ultimate responsibility for the government’s achievements or shortcomings lies with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Recently, a video has surfaced among opposition activists featuring the president cautioning against any criticism of his government’s track record.
This video, verified by GhanaWeb, was recorded at the Jubilee House during a meeting with senior party officials preceding the presidential primaries in November 2023.
“I don’t know what we gain by attacking the record of our own government. When you do that and you become the party candidate, what are you going to tell the people of Ghana?” he submitted.
“That it was Akufo-Addo who misled you and mismanaged affairs; I will be different even though I am NPP; I am still under the elephant sign, I am different and (you think) the people of Ghana are that gullible?
“Let’s be serious. When we are talking about the record of the government, whoever you are, it is your responsibility to ensure that the people of Ghana buy into that record,” he stressed before adding that after the primaries, it is the record of his government that will form the basis of the NPP’s campaign.
Mahamudu Bawumia emerged as the winner of the primary and is now the 2024 presidential candidate of the party. His main competitor in the 2024 polls will be former president John Dramani Mahama of the NDC.
Bawumia, in his first major speech as flagbearer, announced a bid to scrap three tax handles: E-Levy, Betting Tax and Emissions Levy; if they are still on the books come 2025 and he is elected president.