Former Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has urged delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reject claims that former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was responsible for the mismanagement of the economy under the party’s administration.
According to her, Dr Bawumia remains the strongest candidate to lead the NPP and should not be made a scapegoat for the party’s economic challenges.
Addressing some party delegates, Ms Adwoa Safo argued that Dr Bawumia did not wield ultimate authority over economic decision-making and therefore cannot be held solely accountable for the country’s economic difficulties.
She pointed to the significant role played by other senior government officials, particularly former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, in shaping and implementing economic policy.
“Was Dr Bawumia the finance minister? Were we not in government when some MPs said that because of the way our economy was being mismanaged we should change the finance minister? Didn’t he damage everything before he was changed? So how can we blame this on Bawumia?” she questioned.
Ms Adwoa Safo further stressed that Dr Bawumia lacked the power to override decisions taken at the highest levels of government.
“He was only the driver’s mate and could not overrule the driver, even if the driver was not performing well,” she said.
Her remarks come amid criticism from some flagbearer aspirants in the ongoing NPP presidential primaries, who have blamed Dr Bawumia for the party’s economic record while in office.
The NPP is scheduled to elect its presidential candidate on January 31, 2026, ahead of the next general elections.
