Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, H.E. Alhaji Said Sinare, has dismissed claims by New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Vice Chairman Alhaji Osman Masawudu, popularly known as Chairman Buga, that he single-handedly stopped him from attacking the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, during the election campaign.
Ambassador Sinare described the claim as “absurd” and accused Chairman Buga of rewriting the history of the 2024 campaign in an attempt to inject relevance into his re-election bid.
According to him, Chairman Buga neither stopped him from making any political statement nor possessed the authority to regulate his campaign activities.
“I did not seek his permission to campaign, I did not encounter any imaginary roadblock erected by him, and I certainly did not require his authorisation to expose the political contradictions surrounding his flagbearer,” he said.
Ambassador Sinare was reacting to a viral video in which Chairman Buga reportedly claimed that he intervened during the 2024 campaign to prevent the former from describing Dr Bawumia as anti-Muslim and making other allegations concerning the former NPP flagbearer’s conduct.
The Ambassador said the claim was a “revisionist narrative” intended to portray Chairman Buga as a political gatekeeper who restrained him from attacking Dr Bawumia.
He rejected that portrayal, insisting that his role in the 2024 campaign was defined by extensive grassroots mobilisation across the country.
As Chairman of the NDC Zongo Caucus, Ambassador Sinare said he travelled across Ghana, visiting Zongo constituencies and communities, engaging community elders and young people, and mobilising support for President John Dramani Mahama and NDC parliamentary candidates.
“I did not conduct that arduous work from the comfort of an air-conditioned studio, nor did I rely on manufactured social media narratives. I was on the ground, engaging the people,” he said.
Buga cannot rescue Bawumia
Ambassador Sinare further turned his attention to Dr Bawumia, arguing that Chairman Buga’s attempt to rewrite the 2024 campaign history would not restore the former Vice President’s political fortunes.
He cited Dr Bawumia’s record in government, economic stewardship, alleged broken promises, concerns surrounding Hajj fares and his broader political posture as factors that, in his view, contributed to the former NPP candidate’s loss of political credibility.
“Dr Bawumia’s political currency has depreciated beyond redemption,” Ambassador Sinare said.
He argued that no attempt by Chairman Buga to manufacture political battles or portray himself as having restrained opposition attacks could alter the public assessment of Dr Bawumia.
“If Chairman Buga believes he can rehabilitate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s battered political image by inventing fictional battles and rewriting history, he is sorely mistaken,” he said.
‘Stop using my name as a lifebuoy’
Ambassador Sinare’s strongest warning was directed at Chairman Buga’s re-election campaign.
He urged the NPP National Vice Chairman to stop invoking his name and instead focus on convincing NPP delegates of his own record as he seeks another term in office.
“I therefore advise Chairman Buga to stop using my name as a lifebuoy for his drowning re-election campaign and instead concentrate on explaining his record to the NPP delegates who will ultimately decide his political fate,” he said.
He warned that he would respond forcefully if Chairman Buga continued to draw him into his political calculations.
“Politics is not a funeral. If Chairman Buga cannot withstand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen,” Ambassador Sinare said.
He added that any further attempt to drag his name into the NPP executive’s political contest would be met with “facts, history and the full force” of his voice.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
