Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous publication by a certain Osibisaradio purporting to give the impression that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia stated in London that he was selected as NPP vice Presidential candidate on the basis of being a Muslim and that he was fanning religious unrest in Ghana by declaring himself as such. We of the NASARA NPP UK condemn, in no uncertain terms, this publication posted on Ghanaweb as it is wholly untrue. We were present at this meeting and consider it our duty to set the records straight.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, we can confirm, attended the Seven Sisters Mosque, London on the 14th November 2014 as part of his “Uniting for Power” tour of the UK organised by NPP UK in collaboration with its Women and the Nasara wings of the party. After prayers were offered on the day, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia gave a short impressive address during which he explained to the enthusiastic crowd, which included the Chief Imam, leaders of the Zongo communities, visiting Ghanaian Parliamentarians, members of the NPPUK and the Ghanaian community, his commitment to assist Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in wrestling power from an incompetent and corrupt NDC administration and delivering the vision of transformation of Ghana.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia touched on the shambolic state of the Ghanaian economy under the current NDC government and stated how an Akufo Addo-led government would take immediate steps to offer real solutions to the economic crisis facing Ghanaians at the moment.
Furthermore, Dr Bawumia stated that the NDC over the last 6 years has borrowed a whooping US$27bn with nothing to show for it. He lamented that the level of the NDC government's corruption and mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy is painful to watch and called for all Ghanaians to unite in voting the NDC out of office in the 2016 Elections.
Indeed, it is apparent to Ghanaians that Dr Bawumia was selected as running mate to Nana Akufo-Addo unanimously based on his competence, vision, integrity and hard work. Though a proud Muslim, he has never used his religion as a tool in fanning any religious animosity. In fact, it is worthy of note that Dr Bawumia, being a Muslim, brings to the Nana Akufo-Addo ticket a unique combination that is a positive for Ghana as it unites and promotes goodwill among Ghanaians and indicates the religious tolerance of all Ghanaians both home and abroad – a value Ghanaians are proud of and which publications such as the one by Osibisa radio seek to undermine.
It is poignant to note that whiles the likes of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia are outside Ghana promoting our good image, our pacifist nature and true values of Ghanaians, the President Mahama-led NDC is embattled and embroiled in a battle to whitewash an embarrassing sordid cocaine saga. It is these sorts of despicable national shame any true Ghanaian news outlet should be concerned with and not a desperate attempt to dampen the highly successful tour of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. The attempt by Osibisaradio to denigrate the Dr Bawumia visit is such cheap journalism and cannot be taken seriously by discerning Ghanaians.
Furthermore, we note with pride that Ghana is a religious nation with religious tolerance as key to our values as Ghanaians. We of UK Nasara wing of NPP UK will not be swayed by any attempts to denigrate the visit of Dr Bawumia to the UK and urge Ghanaians not be swayed by this mischievous publication. Again, we urge Osibisaradio to desist from creating disaffection and scoring cheap political points with such disingenuous articles as that is unhealthy not helpful to national development.
We want to draw the attention of Osibisa radio to the fact that, since they are interested in what Dr Bawumia says, they shouldn’t have overlooked his opening statement, which dealt with why he joined politics. Any objective listener present at the event will attest to the fact that The Eminent Economist spent about five minutes explaining how and why Nana Akufo Addo invited him to be a running mate.
The Nasara NPP UK vividly remembers the following statements and wish to quote it here for Osibisa radio; “Nana said to me, I want you to be my running mate because of the legacy I want to leave in Ghana”. “I asked him what legacy do you want to leave in Ghana”? “Then Nana said, the legacy I want to leave in Ghana is to bridge the gap between the North and the South”. “He said he wanted me to join him, assist him to deliver that vision”. Osibisa radio, do these quotes ring a bell?
The Nasara NPP UK will be coming out shortly with other things Dr. Bawumia said that will be of interest to Osibisa radio. We have to state that, we have the full tape of the event and can share it with this radio station if they are interested in taking this matter any further.
Finally, we call on Osibisaradio to be accurate in their reportage and use their medium to promote harmony and cohesion among Ghanaians and heed to the call of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia who has called for national cohesion and all to get involved in the task of nation building – a course that is very close to his heart.
Nasara NPP UK
1) PRO 07961545738
2) Secretary 07931635678
3) Co-ordinator 07969914389
