The economic figures and lectures presented by the then running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia became one of the last straws that broke the back of the Mahama administration in the 2016 elections.
According to a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh, the lectures which exposed the economic indices of the country, he said cast the government in a bad light and that forced many to vote against it.
Portions of the Kwesi Botchway report circulating on social media states that “the failure by the NDC candidate, his running-mate, the leadership of the party and the majority at that time, to strongly challenge the views of Dr. Bawumia did grave harm to the image of the NDC and contributed hugely to our defeat.’
Commenting on this portion of the report on Adom FM’s Morning Show, ‘Dwaso Nsem’ Tuesday, Yamoah Ponkoh said he totally agreed to the point made by the 13 member committee as the NDC lacked the needed human resource to respond to the ‘economic lies’ spewed by Dr Bawumia.
“I totally agree with their observations because Bawumia was leading the onslaught even though 90% of what he was saying were lies, but whose duty was it to counter them? We all knew he was lying and he is still doing so even in power…,” he said.
Asked if the then Vice President, Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur should be blamed for failing to respond adequately to Dr Bawumia, Mr Ponkoh said he was not sure the former Vice President could have dispelled the economic lies alone and needed backing.
“Amissah Arthur alone couldn’t have countered him, the campaign team and its charges should have done that…the people that surrounded the President failed him big time…,” he said.
