In a recent statement, the Right Honourable Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, expressed his concerns about the economic situation in the country and the lavish spending by Vice President Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia in his bid to become the NPP Flagbearer.
Rt. Hon. Speaker Bagbin began by pointing out the stark economic challenges facing Ghana, describing it as a “broke country with a collapsed economy.”
He emphasized that despite promises from the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia Government to protect the public purse, it seemed that some were enriching themselves and their families at the expense of the nation’s finances.
The crux of Bagbin’s concerns centred around Vice President Alhaji Bawumia’s recent actions.
According to the speaker of Parliament, the vice president has been distributing a significant sum of money to delegates in his pursuit of the NPP Flagbearer position. Each of the 204,144 delegates reportedly received Ghc400, totalling an astonishing Ghc81,657,600, which converts to approximately $6,901,125.77 in United States Dollars.
Bagbin compared this to a previous gesture by former President H.E. John Dramani Mahama, who generously gave Ghc40 each to 355,092 delegates during the May 13th presidential elections, amounting to Ghc14,203,680. However, this smaller sum faced criticism from some media outlets and even calls for a corruption investigation by the Special Prosecutor.
Bagbin questioned the apparent double standard, highlighting the media’s response to Mahama’s T&T (Transportation and Tolls) support for delegates, which he deemed negative in comparison to the silence surrounding Alhaji Bawumia’s substantial spending.
As the NPP delegates receive the substantial sums from Alhaji Bawumia, Ghana awaits the reactions of the media, anti-corruption campaigners, and election watchers to assess the implications of this lavish expenditure in the ongoing race for the NPP Flagbearer position. The juxtaposition of such spending against the backdrop of Ghana’s economic challenges raises questions about the nation’s fiscal priorities and the actions of its political leaders.
