Private legal practitioner Nana Yaw Osei has criticized Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2024 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for embarking on a nationwide “Thank You Tour,” describing it as a calculated move modeled after President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s previous political blueprint.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Abusua FM’s Bresosem program, monitored by Kumasimail, Osei argued that Bawumia’s current tour mirrors the approach Akufo-Addo used to solidify his control over the NPP and ultimately secure two presidential terms.
Osei suggested that this strategy is being reused by Bawumia and the party’s national executives, who are also seeking re-election and thus joining the tour to maintain their political relevance.
He said “You want to be a flagbearer, so you are campaigning by organizing a Thank You Tour. The national executives, who also want re-election, are following you.
He added “Do you know where all this is coming from? It is Akufo-Addo’s blueprint that Bawumia is following. That is what they did, and Bawumia is following it. Doesn’t he know that people are now aware of this strategy?” Osei asked.
Osei further questioned the effectiveness of this approach, warning Bawumia that if he is following the blueprint, it is outdated.
He stressed “When Akufo-Addo started that plan to become President, how many years now? Akufo-Addo became President for eight years. If that’s what he is following, isn’t it outdated?”.
Again, Osei emphasized that Dr. Bawumia’s 2024 loss is historic, noting that no government in the Fourth Republic has seen its party lose as miserably as what happened to Bawumia.
He explained “There is no government whose party has lost as miserably as Bawumia did in the 2024 election under the Fourth Republic. When Rawlings was leaving office and Mills succeeded him, Mills received over 42%. When Kufuor was leaving and Akufo-Addo contested, Akufo-Addo received about 49%. No government candidate has lost like Bawumia did; it is historic”.
He urged Dr. Bawumia to stop rushing, or else he will lose again.
“It’s not about rushing-are you rushing to lose again? You can’t even be certain that the majority in your own party will vote for you, yet you’re on public platforms discussing Muslim and Christian votes”.
He also advised him to stop speaking about religious politics.
“You keep focusing on religious politics. If you’re someone, you would avoid such discussions, because Ghanaians don’t vote along tribal lines-the evidence is clear, and no one can dispute this”.
Osei focused on Bawumia’s statement that 2.1 million NPP supporters did not vote in the 2024 elections.
“Bawumia and the NPP leadership haven’t learned anything. They don’t know why they claim that 2.1 million people who could have voted for them didn’t turn out to vote. They have never bothered to find out; they just assume it is automatic.”
He criticized the party leadership for failing to investigate the reasons behind the low turnout, arguing that internal disunity and structural issues within the party were to blame.
“If they had bothered to investigate, they would have realized that unity within the party is key. Common sense dictates that if it’s true 2.1 million of your supporters did not come to vote, it should tell you people within the party are unhappy”, he asserted.
He urged the NPP to prioritize unity and structural reforms, warning that repeating past strategies without addressing core issues would not yield different results.
“Currently, the party structure alone pushes people away, so they should ask themselves what’s wrong with it. Reforming the party structure alone could bring disaffected members back into the fold”, he argued.
Source :www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
