Bawumia’s religious campaign rhetoric; a decision of logicality or irrationality for the Ghanaian Muslim

I have learned from the ancient archives of the culturally rich Dagbang kingdom’s proverbial wisdom, that a visitor who has so much appetite for chicken should always endeavor to lodge in a house whose owner will be generous enough to kill and serve chicken for his or her welcome meal and not just lodge in a house brimming with poultry.

Certainly, possessing multitudes of chicken is not the same as having the zeal to treat another to the relish of crispy and toothsome chicken thighs.

Such proverbial narrative, presents an intriguing experience for the Ghanaian Muslim relative to the emerging religious campaign rhetoric from the camp of Bawumia, as opined, on the eve of the NPP 2023 presidential primaries, by one of his cheerleaders on Sagani T.V in Tamale; Napaga Tia Sulemana, the national coordinator for the Special Development Initiatives, asserted that since the inception of democratic governance in Ghana, the Qur’an is yet to be used for the presidential oath of office and that, Ghanaians ought to consider such novelty this time around, by ensuring that Dr. Bawumia wins the NPP’s presidential primaries and the ensuing general elections.

But the million dollar question is, should Ghanaians and Muslims for that matter, simply vote for Dr. Bawumia on the mere and illogical desire of realizing the usage of a particular scripture in taking the presidential oath of office and have him installed in the highest office of the land as a Muslim without regard for his conduct and shamefully outstanding track record? Or they should vote for a candidate with noticeable abilities and commendable passion for serving the interests and sacred aspirations of adherents of the Islamic faith. The latter will make the best answer indisputably.

Examining the track records of the two candidates leading the NPP and NDC within the Ghanaian Islamic community exposes Dr. Bawumia as a ruthless political opportunist who tries to manipulate Muslims with sophisticated religious ideas for political favors and nothing else.

While the cost of embarking on the Hajj pilgrimage, which is a matter of grave concern for the Muslim fraternity, was made exceedingly moderate and affordable during the presidential reign of H.E John Dramani Mahama, the seventy-five thousand Ghana cedi (Ghc 75.000) hajj fees recorded under Dr. Bawumia as a Muslim Vice President is six times higher and weightier than the eleven thousand, nine hundred Ghana cedi (Ghc 11,900); hajj fees for 2016.

John Dramani Mahama; the non-Muslim presidential candidate for the NDC and a former president of the Ghanaian republic undertook deliberate steps during his presidential tenure to terminate the painful and humiliating experiences that pilgrim, hitherto, went through at the hajj village in Accra, by upgrading the Tamale Airport to international standards which ushered in a historic era under his regime when flights transporting pilgrims moved directly between the Tamale and Jeddah international airports.

Like the proverbial visitor, I admonish my fellow Muslims not to allow themselves to be deceived into believing that voting for Dr. Bawumia means having our religious aspirations achieved, for he has proven not dependable and trustworthy as compared to H.E John Dramani Mahama who has distinguishably demonstrated his devotion in the pursuit of our religious priorities which makes him the most deserving candidate of our votes.