Bawumia looks on unconcerned as vicious factional struggle erupts in his Walewale backyard

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s election campaign has been overshadowed by internal chaos over selection of a parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Walewale, causing observers to question whether he's fit to lead the 34 million Ghanaians even as he struggles to bring peace to his small Walewale backyard.

In fact, critics are accusing him directly of being a party to the political chaos in his Walewale constituency - The involvement of Dr. Bawumia in the raging chaos tends to confirm the public perception that at every opportunity the NPP puts the internal politics of family matters first and the national interests second.

Some angry NPP faithfuls in the constituency have levelled accusations at the vice president, saying that "having thrown a grenade into the room in Walewale he has run away from the crime scene and he's out there throttling more rhetoric."

The chaos in Walewale is a vicious battle for the NPP parliamentary candidature between the corner of Hon Hajia Lariba Zuwera Abudu, a close relative of Dr. Bawumia and of Dr. Abdul Karibu Tia Mahama, Technical Advisor and aide to the vice president.

The whole of Walewale is watching aghast as the two NPP protagonists in the constituency plot and sulk and tear each other apart in public – and fight to the death in the courtroom.

Hajia Lariba Zuwera Abudu first came into prominence in 2016 amidst a brutal constituency leadership coup – She won a surprise first term in the 2020 parliamentary elections.

But the momentum did not last. Her abrasive and apparently autocratic leadership style sparked a campaign of whispers describing foul temper tantrums, incivility to constituents and intemperate demands.

When Dr. Abdul Karibu Tia, moved against her in the January 2024 NPP parliamentary primaries, he did so against a backdrop of internal disquiet and profound electoral disappointment.

She failed to win against Dr. Abdul Karibu Tia Mahama and she has since been in court citing irregularities and systemic rigging by Dr Bawumia's aide.

And as it were, the ongoing legal battle has brought to the fore a troubling narrative of Dr Bawumia's covert involvement in the whole confusion.

It is the case of Hon Lariba that seventeen(17) deceased delegates had voted in the election, claiming that Dr. Bawumia's aide orchestrated this systematic fraud. Part of her narrative includes double voting.

At first glance, it appears Hon. Hajia Lariba Abudu Zuwera, stands on firm ground. To be precise, she has ace up her sleeve with not just one piece of evidence, but verifiable records to bury Dr. Bawumia's aide.

But then, while the case gets underway, two conflicting statements emanating from the Walewale constituency came jumping at the public - The first statement signed by the constituency chairman, Mohammed Janda Muniru, indicated that after an extensive meeting with constituency executives, patrons, council of elders and area coordinators, it was agreed that the entire house reaffirmed the declaration of Dr. Bawumia’s aide as the parliamentary candidate for the Walewale constituency.

However, another statement by the constituency secretary, Wuni Yidana, urged the general public to disregard the claim that the constituency executives had reaffirmed Dr. Kabiru Tia Mahama as the party’s 2024 Parliamentary candidate.

And while all of this is going on, there are clashes on the street of Walewale between the warring factions. The situation in Walewale looks grim, maybe we are moving towards the end of the middle game, rather than the start of the endgame.

In all honesty, the entire NPP in Walewale appears to be at war in this period, and while the wounds and the scars are becoming more apparent, the leader of the NPP whose backyard is burning has been happy to sit on his arse while the iron ore riches rolled in without making any attempt to quench the raging fire in Walewale - Dr Bawumia has failed to show true leadership and offer a lasting solution to the Walewale debacle.

The carnage for the NPP in Walewale is unbelievable. And Dr Bawumia's personal ambition is driving it all. On the ground, Bawumia is seen to be a man who cares more about his own position of power than the good of his constituents and the country - Oh yes, he's basically testing the theory that the best way to resolve a crisis is to be as far away from it as possible.

Of course, while political brawling, factionalism, personality clashes and internal party grievances spilling into the public arena is nothing new in politics, the question for Dr. Bawumia now is whether he will continue to watch events from the stands, or he will finally show some backbone, strength, leadership and offer political solution for the resolution of this crisis.

Hopefully, this'll mean that he finally will take the hint that most people think that he's useless and will go home, reflect and learn to 'pull his head in' when confronted by matters that he's not capable of making a positive contribution to.

What therefore matters now is what kind of leader do we have in Dr. Bawumia? What kind of ability does he have to manage large-scale conflicts? If he can actually turn a blind eye to a conflict in his own party and household, what does he have to offer the generality of the Ghanaian people?

Whoever the winner is in this acrimonious brawl for the NPP in Walewale, a more serious – potentially disastrous – disconnect between Bawumia's leadership capabilities and crisis management skills seems hard to imagine.

The simple truth is that even Bawumia at some point must realize that the cost to his political self-advancement isn't worth it.

I shall be back!