BAWUMIA: Mamprusi-Kusasi debate a distraction, tribal bigotry

The former vice-president, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has criticised what he described as “tribal and religious bigotry” connected to the Bawku conflict and says ethnic prejudice is being deployed against him in the run-up to the New Patriotic Party’s presidential primaries.

In a statement shared on social media, Dr Bawumia said some of his opponents were resorting to propaganda in a desperate attempt to sway delegates, rather than confronting the real issues behind the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election.

“One issue that has been raised is the Mamprusi-Kusasi conflict,” said Bawumia. “An aspirant has told delegates not to vote for me because I am Mamprusi, suggesting we would lose votes in Kusasi areas.

“This is unfortunate and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the situation on the ground,” he said.

History

Dr Bawumia argued that the NPP’s electoral history in the Bawku zones showed the party had never enjoyed strong support there.

He observed that since 1965, the NPP had secured seats in that area in only four out of 11 general elections in total.

“Out of the six constituencies in Bawku, we lost a total of just 30,000 votes in 2024. This is not what cost us the election. The ‘Bawku factor’ was not a factor in the outcome and we should stop moving in that direction,” he said.

The former vice-president urged his competitors to focus on credible strategies to rebuild the party and win back national support, rather than exploiting ethnic and religious divisions.

Bryan reacts

The video clip circulating on social media captures one of the other aspirants for the NPP nomination to run for president in 2028 – the MP for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong – suggesting that the former vice-president should take some blame for the ongoing tensions in Bawku.

In a statement, however, the Acheampong campaign team said his remarks had been “taken out of context” and “distorted”.

The team said Dr Acheampong’s comments had rather highlighted what he called a “deliberate strategy” that had been exploited to weaken the NPP’s performance in certain constituencies – a matter that he said should concern the party as it plans for Election 2028.

Source: AsaaseRadio