By: Heritage News online/Prince Yunus wakpenjo/2024
In the heat of campaign for governance glory ahead of Ghana’s 2024 general election, the former deputy chief executive officer of Masloc and member of the JDM national campaign team, Alhaji Mustapha Aboubakar has cautioned the NPP’s campaign team led by their flag-bearer and vice president of Ghana, Dr. Mahmoudu Bawumiah, to eschew religious and tribal politics and campaign on merit not religious card.
Speaking on the Award winning famous XYZ tv night Gumbe show on Tuesday, Alhaji Mustapha said, the preference of Dr. Bawumiah as against NPP’s defunct Alan Kyeremanteng, is purely to help cover the state loot the Nana Addo’s administration superintended from 2017 till date. Insisting that, the choice of Bawumiah was not on merit nor religious or tribal opportunity, rather than cover up of state loot.
” The stolen wealth is what they are trying to protect that instigated the choice of Bawumiah as the Flagbearer over Alan not because he is a Muslim”
He argued that, if Dr. Bawumiah and his cohorts believes in religious priority, why did they jump Dr. Hassan Ayariga of PNC/APC in 2016 and 2020, to vote for a certain candidate who is not a Muslim. stressing that, their populist conduct with Islamic card suggest pure mediocrity.
The former Masloc boss also cited the recent campaign of Bawumiah in the Okaikwei central and Adenta constituency, where both contesting candidates for NDC are Muslims, Baba Sadiq and Abu Ramadan, who happened to be the in-law to the NPP flagbearer, yet, the preference of the vice president for the parliamentary seat in both constituencies, differs from what he preaches to the Muslim communities.
“When it suits you, you want them to vote for you as a Muslim, now it doesn’t suit you, you don’t want other Muslims to be voted for so you are campaigning for others who are not Muslims. you see why we are saying it is dangerous to play religious politics?”
He said, admittedly, the current population trend in Ghana suggest, the Muslim community in Ghana has 19.9% as against 70% for the Christian community. However, written records has always indicates that, Muslims who gets the nod to serve in the higher office of the country, did so diligently, with transparency and experience. Hence, the desire for Muslim leading the state of affair in the country, should not be just by a name. instead, by integrity, track record and diligent and when the time comes, Muslims will find the right candidates to represent appropriately.
Alhaji Mustpha said, the NDC has serious campaign message to deal with and they also have an existing track record to build on, hence, they will not be derailed into playing a religious divisive camping as being perpetuated by Bawumiah, his cohort and the campaign team.
He said, NDC is occupied with disseminating good news of feasible social and economic emancipation policies, policies such as Women Bank, that would finance our women for empowerment by giving them interest free loan without collateral, will serve as an economic and financial boost for the small, medium enterprises (SMES), which largely forms the micro basis of the country’s economy and avenue for employment. Reiterating that, largely, our Zango women will highly benefit from the pact due to magnitude of their importation businesses and the local markets.
