Whether it was a matter of karma or a mere comment that aged badly, Sammy Gyamfi appears to be enjoying the last laugh for now.
The National Communications Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is poking Vice President Dr Mahamadu Bawumia for some comments he made while in opposition back in 2015.
Dr Bawumia, who was Nana Akufo-Addo’s running mate at the time, in one of his addresses called out the Mahama-led government for blaming the economic crisis on external factors.
At the time, the government was still satisfying International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditionalities amid a struggle to resuscitate the country’s economy.
But Bawumia said the NDC administration had mismanaged the country’s finances and sought to blame it on external issues.
During one of his addresses in 2015, Dr Bawumia asked that “how can global phenomenon skip Cote D’Ivoire and all surrounding countries and attack only Ghana.”
With the governing NPP at the doors of the IMF for a bailout amid an economic downturn, the comment is back on the front burner.
Government has blamed the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war for the situation.
But at a press conference organised by the NDC today, Sammy Gyamfi tested the Vice President’s position on the matter in the face of fresh economic hardships.
“To quote Dr. Bawumia, how did Covid-19 and the four (4) months old Russia-Ukraine war jump over Nigeria, Benin, Côte D’Ivoire and our other neighbors to attack only Ghana? Your guess is as good as mine,” he said on Wednesday.
“Did Covid-19 affect Ghana than it did our neighbors? How come that none of these countries who were all affected by the pandemic are recording double-digit deficits and high debt to GDP ratio of about 80%? How come none of these countries are recording inflation rates of 30%?” he added.
Meanwhile, the NDC has asked for the Vice President to be removed from the Economic Management Team (EMT).
He also wants Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta to be fired.