Bawumia questions Mahama's northern development record as President
Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has criticized former President John Mahama's track record on northern development during his tenure as Vice President and President.
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Addressing a large crowd in Wa during his campaign tour of the Upper West Region on Monday, Dr. Bawumia contrasted his own contributions as Vice President with Mahama's, asserting that he has achieved more development for the north despite never having been President.
"This election, the 2024 election, is a choice between two northerners; between Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and former President John Mahama," he stated.
"John Mahama has been President of Ghana before. Dr. Bawumia has only been Vice President. So the people of Wa West Constituency, the people of the Upper West Region, and the people of the five northern regions, you are in the best position to tell which of your two sons should be the President of Ghana."
Dr. Bawumia challenged the crowd to recall any significant projects Mahama initiated for the north during his presidency. He questioned the effectiveness of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA), claiming it failed to deliver tangible results despite significant funding.
"They said they used the money to rear Guinea Fowls. We asked where the Guinea Fowls were, they said they had flown to Burkina Faso. There was no evidence of their work after all those monies in the five northern regions," Bawumia remarked.
He further criticized the NDC's performance in infrastructure development, accusing them of not completing any major roads in the Upper West and Upper East Regions during their eight years in power between 2009 and 2017. "In the 8 years of the NDC government, the NDC did not complete one major road in Upper West and Upper East Regions," Bawumia stated.
Dr. Bawumia highlighted the NPP's accomplishments, including the implementation of Free SHS, which he said Mahama had opposed. He also emphasized the success of the National Health Insurance Scheme and the ongoing Agenda 111 project, which aims to build hospitals in districts without them.
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"In the five northern regions, we have 28 districts without district hospitals. We have implemented Agenda 111, and today you can see that the Agenda 111 hospital in Wechiau is 80% complete," Bawumia said.
He listed various development projects in Wa West, Upper West, and the northern regions, asserting that he has championed more progress for the north in his role as Vice President than Mahama did as President. Dr. Bawumia assured that he would do even more for the north and for Ghana if elected President.
"I am for all, and I want to take the whole of the north and the whole of Ghana to a new level," he pledged.