Anthony Karbo stabs Bawumia

When “The Herald” published on February 1, 2013 under the caption “Bawumia looks for a new Job”, many were those, especially in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who doubted the possibility of the said move.

However, information emanating from the African Development Bank (AfDB) has revealed that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the star witness in the election petition at the Supreme Court challenging the eligibility of President John Mahama, will soon take up his new post as Country Director in the Ugandan office of the bank.

But there is confusion as to who is speaking the truth about Dr. Bawumia’s job.

While the bank said he was appointed on April 1, 2013, and was granted a special leave to do some unfinished business per its AfDB policy, which allows each staff to take special leave of absence, the ex-NPP National Youth Organizer, Anthony Karbo, denies the bank’s claims, saying his boss is only returning to his old job after a long leave.

Mr. Karbo insisted that Dr. Bawumia never resigned from the job which sent him to Zimbabwe as country director, implying that Dr. Bawumia has always been unsure of Nana Addo’s victory in the 2012 elections, therefore, only took a long leave with the hope of returning to his job after a defeat.

The ex-NPP Youth Organiser’s claim was in reaction to AfDB’s position as stated by Dr. Magatte Wade, Head of External Relations and Communications at the head office of the bank in Tunis, who confirmed Dr. Bawumia’s appointment in response to an e-mail enquiry by the Ghanaian Times, last Monday.

The AfDB head of External Relations and Communications was quoted as saying that “Dr Bawumia will be resident representative of the bank in the Uganda country office where he will co-ordinate and supervise the operations of the bank in the country office for great portfolio efficiency and visibility on the ground”.

But the interesting question is if Dr. Bawumia, indeed, asked for a long leave from the bank as said by Anthony Karbo, the bank could not have re-assigned him without him agreeing to be in Uganda.

This would be the second time that Dr. Bawumia would pick up appointment with AfDB after unsuccessfully contesting to become the vice president on the ticket of the NPP in the 2012 general elections in Ghana.

It is clear that while Nana Addo was battling his creditors over the huge sum of money that was used to prosecute the campaign for the last elections; he (Bawumia) was also busy writing application letters for employment and currently being held back by the Supreme Court case.

In 2008, before he was announced to partner Nana Addo, Dr. Bawumia, unknown to many, took yet again a long leave from the Bank of Ghana where he was virtually unknown while serving as Deputy Governor, and after the NPP’s defeat in a “three in one” general election, he quickly run to take over his position, but was booted out by the late President John Evans Mills.

In all these, one thing that is clear is that Dr Bawumia, an accomplished and seasoned economist, has never believed he and the Nana Addo ticket could work magic, because on the two occasions, he has failed to resign completely, but always took leave, hoping to come back to continue his job.

It would be recalled that during the 2008 campaign period, Dr Bawumia in one of his campaign tours was heard in a vehicle with his wife Samira Bawumia telling her that his belly was becoming bigger by the day and so couldn’t wait for the elections to be over for him to hit the gym.

The scene which was captured in a video by Jarreth Merz titled an “Africa Election” was described by some as very revealing as it was taken to mean Dr Bawumia was uncertain about victory in the elections and so could not wait to get over the very involving process which they believed he knew it was much ado about nothing.