Bawumia should have resigned after being sidelined in economic management – Senyo Hosi

Economic Policy Analyst and activist, Senyo Hosi, has stated that Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, should have resigned from President Akufo-Addo’s administration when it became clear he was being sidelined in the management of the economy.

In an interview on Okay FM on Monday, December 16, Mr. Hosi pointed out that the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, held control over the economy, diminishing the influence many expected Dr. Bawumia to have.

“President Akufo-Addo’s government did not treat Dr. Bawumia fairly. However, I also blame him because when it became evident that things were not going well and he was not being allowed to manage the economy as intended, he should have stepped down,” Mr. Hosi asserted.

“When President Akufo-Addo won in 2016, Ghanaians expected better governance, stronger institutions, and effective economic management led by Dr. Bawumia. Unfortunately, it was Ken Ofori-Atta who managed the economy, and Dr. Bawumia was sidelined,” Mr. Hosi added.

According to him, Dr. Bawumia’s prominence on the NPP ticket in 2016 brought “proper weight” and value to the party’s appeal, unlike other vice-presidential candidates in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.

“Dr. Bawumia was a major reason Ghanaians supported the NPP. If economic management is your value on the ticket, and you are not allowed to deliver, you should have admitted it to Ghanaians and exited,” he stressed.

Mr. Hosi further criticized the NPP’s economic performance, stating that the fiscal crisis experienced by the country was not a result of external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the Russia-Ukraine war, but rather poor economic management by the Akufo-Addo administration.

“The poor performance of the economy had very little to do with the pandemic or the war. It was a matter of bad fiscal management and arrogance in admitting mistakes,” he noted.

According to Mr. Hosi, he predicted an electoral defeat for the NPP earlier in the year, estimating a two-million-vote margin between the NDC and NPP.

“I told my NPP friends in April that unless certain measures were taken, they would lose the election,” he revealed.

Mr. Hosi also argued that the 2024 election result was largely a reflection of President Akufo-Addo’s governance rather than Dr. Bawumia’s candidacy.

“This election was about President Akufo-Addo and not Bawumia or President-elect John Mahama. The person who made the most reasonable statement in this year’s elections was former President John Kufuor, who said Ghanaians should vote based on their living conditions. And that was exactly the basis of this year’s election outcome,” he intoned.