Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and John Dramani Mahama
I have learnt with amazement how Imani Africa, a supposed Civil Society Organisation (CSO) headed by Franklin Cudjoe, are inviting NPP presidential candidate Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia to attend a presidential debate with NDC presidential candidate Mr John Dramani Mahama.
Yes, it happens in the developed western world where contesting presidential candidates are invited to a few times of public debates on fixed dates as per their rules. This occasion gives the public clear insight into who among them is credible enough to vote for to become the next president.
Any decision taken by the electorates may be influenced and or, dependent on how the various candidates convincingly answer the questions put to them by the debate moderator.
It has happened in Ghana before in 2012, when presidential candidates Messrs John Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo, Mahama Ayariga aka Ayari Cough and others did attend a public presidential debate organised and headed by now NDC vice presidential candidate Ms Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
No-one knew beforehand that Jane was a secret member, or an aspirant, of NDC.
No sooner had John Mahama won the election than he offered her a ministerial appointment. What a coincidence!
Could she not have been unfair to the other presidential candidates? Could she not have passed most, or all, of the possible questions to be asked the candidates, to John Mahama long before the debate date?
Did the debate moderator not give the questions for the presidential debate in advance to John Mahama to prep for the debate, if I should be more precise?
They may or may not be informed by the moderators of the topics they will be asked questions on. For example, the economy, national security, creation of jobs, food safety, etc. However, the specific questions to be asked on each topic should not be disclosed to them in advance.
In the case of Imani Africa, their behaviours, actions, and pronouncements, do clearly indicate that they are either secret members of NDC or are supporters of NDC.
Therefore, it will be irresponsible for Dr Bawumia to accept any invitation to attend a presidential debate scheduled and moderated by Franklin Cudjoe, the Executive Director of Imani Africa.
Imani Africa claim to be a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) but they are not neutral but partisan. They are heavily tilted towards NDC. This is an indisputable fact.
A neutral or apolitical CSO can organise and moderate the debate but not in a million times Imani Africa and their dodgy Executive Director Franklin Cudjoe.
I will rather advise Dr Bawumia to do without a presidential debate if and only if, Imani Africa are those going to organise and moderate it.
Is it not said in an Akan proverb that, “Wani tua tumm a yen nkotia mu”, thus, “You dare not walk straight into obvious danger”.
A word of advice to Dr Bawumia is enough.
He had better concentrate on his campaign rather than to bother himself about a malicious presidential debate scheduled and moderated by Imani Africa.
Dr Bawumia has my full back any day any time.
Please note that I shall be frequenting the re-organised Sources radio as a guest speaker to share my views on election 2024 with my fellow Ghanaians the world over.
Sources radio is back again on the airwaves for the sake of Dr Bawumia and Ghana.
