Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has fired back at ex-President John Dramani Mahama, challenging him to a one-on-one debate after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate posed five questions to him.
In a strongly worded statement, Dr. Bawumia criticised Mr. Mahama for what he described as an attempt to avoid direct intellectual discourse and scrutiny of their respective records and policies.
According to him, the former president ought to avail himself for a public debate between them to allow Ghanaians to assess their leadership.
“I would have thought he would be man enough to face me in a one-on-one debate for the Ghanaian public to assess our respective policies, achievements, and visions,” Dr. Bawumia declared.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate dismissed Mr. Mahama’s questions as “flimsy” and accused the former president of hiding behind them to avoid a debate.
Dr. Bawumia said he was ready to answer Mahama’s questions, but noted he had a far more substantive list of his own to pose to the former president.
In a lengthy rebuttal, he pointed out several key issues he believes Mr. Mahama failed to address during his presidency, highlighting challenges such as the persistent energy crisis, popularly known as “dumsor,” the near-collapse of the banking sector, and the cancellation of teacher and nursing training allowances under Mahama’s leadership.
The Vice President also criticised the NDC leader’s handling of the National Ambulance Service, job creation, and recruitment into essential services such as nursing and teaching.
Dr. Bawumia again underscored his government’s achievements, contrasting them with what he described as Mahama’s inadequate performance.
He cited improvements in various sectors under the current administration, including roads, healthcare infrastructure, schools, sanitation, and digital innovations such as the Ghana Card and paperless ports.
Dr. Bawumia also emphasised the government’s social intervention programmes, including the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy and the absorption of examination fees, areas in which he claims Mahama’s government faltered.
The Vice President again questioned ex-President Mahama’s ability to explain some of his campaign proposals and past governance decisions.
Among the questions Dr. Bawumia is seeking clarification on is John Mahama’s stance on free education, particularly regarding the Free Senior High School policy.
He pointed out that Mr. Mahama’s past advertisements actually opposed this policy, which raises questions about his current position.
“Why did you run advertisements against free SHS?” Dr. Bawumia quizzed, and continued with further questions such as “Can you name any broad-based social intervention policy that you implemented in Ghana as President?”
“Can you provide one coherent explanation of your 24-hour economy proposal?” Dr. Bawumia again asked Mr. Mahama and followed with another, “What specific measures did you implement to combat corruption during your tenure as president?”
He took credit for championing numerous initiatives during his tenure, including the Zongo Development Fund, mobile money interoperability, and the “One Constituency, One Ambulance” project.
Dr. Bawumia reiterated his call for a public debate, arguing that such a platform would allow Ghanaians to evaluate the tangible results delivered by the NPP government compared to Mahama’s administration.
“Come for a debate,” he urged, setting the stage for what could be a high-stakes political confrontation in the coming months.
By Ernest Kofi Adu
