A photo collage of Malik Basintale (L) and Oliver Barker-Vormawor (R)
Private legal practitioner and activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for appointing Malik Basintale into a ‘bureaucratic’ role, describing the move as a strategic blunder.
In a post shared on his X page on Saturday, August 23, 2025, Barker-Vormawor argued that Basintale’s real political value lies in his ability to mobilise the grassroots and energise young people, not in handling government contracts and bureaucratic duties in Accra.
According to him, Basintale had proven himself as “a revelation” during the run-up to the elections, earning street credibility and mobilising enthusiasm among the youth.
He maintained that politics is driven more by emotions and high-energy civic engagement than by facts and figures, and Basintale’s talents should have been fully harnessed in that space.
NDC did not win Adansi Asokwa seat on merit – KT Hammond
“Malik should have been kept outside government. His full-time job should have been deploying him across the country to rally young people behind government and government policies. He should have been supported and resourced to continue to rally up the base, 24/7,” Barker-Vormawor wrote.
He warned that shelving Basintale’s talent until election season would be too late, stressing that the NDC had taken its “foot off the pedal” when it came to mobilisation.
NDC did not win Adansi Asokwa seat on merit – KT Hammond
Baker-Vormawor further lamented that the party’s grassroots now find themselves frustrated, with many young people submitting CVs at party offices for jobs that may never come.
“Unfortunately, the NDC has taken its foot off the pedal. Its massive mobilisation infrastructure is now demobilised. Young men line up their party offices with half literate half formatted CVs, they will never get.
“Malik sits in Accra sorting between Zoomlion contracts and per diem allowances. His true talent wasted; shelved to be deployed just a few months to elections. When it is too late”, he noted.
Barker-Vormawor pointed out the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene as an example of the energy the NDC should be maintaining nationwide.
“See what Dr Frank Amoakohene is doing in Ashanti? That’s the energy (x 16) you need to maintain generational enthusiasm”, he added.
He urged the NDC to return Basintale to the streets with the resources to sustain mobilisation full-time, adding that such bold moves may be uncomfortable for some politicians but are essential for the party’s long-term growth.
Read his post below:
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— Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor (@barkervogues) June 4, 2025
JKB/EB
Meanwhile, watch the trailer to GhanaWeb’s upcoming documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures below: