Former govt spokesperson slams Bawumia over election loss claims

A former Government ­­­Spokesperson on Governance and Security under the Akufo-Addo administration, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, has said the 2024 flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) cannot distance himself from the administration’s collective failures that led to the party’s defeat in the December 7, 2024, general election.

Dr Bawumia on the first day of his Thank You Tour in the Western Region last Saturday attributed the NPP’s electoral loss to several factors, including arrogance of power, high cost of living, failure to reshuffle government officials, the controversial Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), and the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).

The former Vice- President, who was addressing party supporters, stated that these issues left many Ghanaians struggling under severe economic pressure.

Opportunistic attempt

However, in a strongly worded statement, he challenged Dr Bawumia’s narrative, describing it as an opportunistic attempt to absolve himself of blame.

“As Vice-President, he had a platform to voice dissent or influence policy but chose not to, only to later claim opposition when it suited his political ambitions.

Dr Boakye-Danquah, in a strongly worded statement, challenged Dr Bawumia’s narrative, describing it as an opportunistic attempt to absolve himself of blame.

“As Vice-President, he had a platform to voice dissent or influence policy but chose not to, only to later claim opposition when it suited his political ambitions.

“This selective distancing extends to the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which caused widespread financial distress, including protests by pensioners,” he stated.

He accused Dr Bawumia of selectively distancing himself from the DDEP, which caused widespread financial hardship and sparked protests by pensioners.

“Bawumia’s failure to publicly address or mitigate the DDEP’s impact, while now implying he was not fully responsible, reeks of opportunism and undermines the administration’s collective accountability,” Dr Boakye-Danquah added.

He criticised Dr Bawumia for attempting to shift the blame for severe economic hardships, including a crippling cost-of-living crisis and the increase in petrol prices just days before the election onto the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.

“His attempt to shift blame for economic hardships, such as the crippling cost-of-living crisis and soaring petrol prices—reportedly increased just three days before the 2024 elections—onto Akufo-Addo’s leadership is particularly disloyal,” he said.

Omane Boamah

In a related development, the Minister of Defence, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, has accused Dr Bawumia of refusing to take responsibility for the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 general election.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, April 27, 2025, Dr Boamah criticised the NPP flag bearer, alleging that he was attempting to shift blame onto others rather than accepting his role in the party’s electoral loss.

In his post, Dr Boamah stated that Dr Bawumia played a pivotal role in the economic challenges that contributed to the NPP’s downfall.

"Elections 2024: Bawumia is blaming everything and everybody except himself.

Bawumia was critical of NPP's economic mess!" he wrote, underscoring his belief that Dr Bawumia’s leadership failures were central to the party’s defeat.