Flashback: Corruption in NDC faster than Ford Expedition – Bawumia

In the run-up to the 2016 general election when Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was the vice-presidential candidate for the then opposition NPP, he claimed that the ‘speed’ of corruption in the Mahama-led government was faster than a Ford Expedition vehicle.

His comment followed a Ford Expedition corruption scandal which the then president, John Dramani Mahama had been cited in.

Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on the basis of this said Ghanaians needed positive transformation, which can only be achieved by endorsing the candidature of Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2016 elections.

He is quoted to have said; “President Mahama’s corruption deeds are moving faster than the Ford Expedition from Burkina Faso. Corruption has taken centre stage in the John Mahama-led NDC government,” Dr. Bawumia noted.

Read the full story originally published on July 13, 2016, on Ghanaweb

Vice Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Mahamudu Bawumia, says the ‘speed’ of corruption in the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress government is now faster than the Ford Expedition President John Mahama received from the Burkinabe contractor.

According to Dr Bawumia, the NDC’s understanding of governance “is stealing and nothing more.”

He was speaking during the campaign launch of the Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom constituency, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Sunday, where he made reference to a number of corrupt deals involving President Mahama, including the Armajaro and Embraer deals and the recent Ford Expedition saga.

“President Mahama’s corruption deeds are moving faster than the Ford Expedition from Burkina Faso. Corruption has taken centre stage in the John Mahama-led NDC government,” Dr. Bawumia noted.

According to him, Ghanaians need positive transformation, which can only be achieved by endorsing the candidature of Nana Akufo-Addo in the upcoming elections.

He reprimanded the Mahama administration for collapsing all the social interventions introduced by the erstwhile Kufuor government.

“The National Democratic Congress government led by John Mahama has rendered the youth of Ghana hopeless. A government that is characterized by graduate unemployment, high utility tariffs, fraudulent and unaccounted for taxes, unprecedented energy crisis, collapse of the private sector, depreciation of the cedi and a massive fall in the Gross Domestic Product. NDC’s understanding of governance is stealing and nothing more,” the NPP vice presidential candidate stated.

Dr Bawumia assured Ghanaians that the NPP would honour its promises, adding, “John Mahama and his NDC have cancelled the teacher and nursing trainee allowances. NPP will restore the allowances. The 25% tax inflicted on the Private Universities by the NDC will be reduced drastically by the NPP. Unlike John Mahama, job creation is the topmost priority of a Nana Akufo-Addo-led NPP government. We will establish one factory in every district in Ghana to provide jobs for the people of Ghana. NPP will industrialize the Ghanaian economy”.

He bemoaned the manner in which every sector of the economy is ailing due the bad leadership of President Mahama, leading to massive unemployment across the country.

“A lot of transport owners and drivers have been rendered jobless as a result of the 800% increment in vehicle insurance rate. For the first time in Ghana, the NDC government is charging huge sums of money from second cycle and tertiary students as utility bills. The NPP will make education a right not a privilege for all Ghanaian students,” he assured.

Dr. Bawumia wondered why President Mahama touts himself with transformation when in reality he does not understand the word transformation.

“The NDC inherited a Gross Domestic Product growth of 9.1% from the NPP in 2009, the GDP of Ghana today is 3.6%. Where is the so-called transformation? Between 2001 and 2008, NPP increased the minimum wage by 241% whereas from 2009 to 2016 the NDC has reduced it by 13%,” he noted.

Wife of the NPP flagbearer, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, also asked Ghanaians to vote for a visionary leader who is capable of redeeming Ghana from its present state.

Mrs Akufo-Addo said the track record of Nana Addo makes him the best person to fight corruption when elected as President.

The launch was graced by Dominic Nitiwul, Deputy Minority Leader of Parliament, Freddie Blay, acting National Chairman of NPP, and Henry Quartey, Member of Parliament for Ayawaso Central.