Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP), has thrown down the gauntlet to his primary rival, John Dramani Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), urging him to participate in a debate before the December 7 elections.
The Vice President believes that the former President is hesitant about engaging in a public discussion on Ghana’s economy, governance, and overall state of the nation. “I am looking forward to a debate with John Mahama on the economy, governance, and the country,” Bawumia said while addressing NPP members during his nationwide campaign in Nalerigu on Wednesday, July 11. “But I am afraid that he is running away from a debate because he knows that I will expose the emptiness of his policies,” he added in a widely circulated video.
“I am looking forward to a debate with John Mahama on the economy, governance, and the country.” – Vice President and Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. pic.twitter.com/gbY91F6NsX
— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) July 11, 2024
It remains to be seen whether Mahama will accept the challenge and face Bawumia on a public platform to debate the track records of both the NDC and NPP, as well as key issues concerning the economy and governance. As political campaigns heat up in the lead-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections, candidates are increasingly calling each other out to showcase their policies and ideologies.
Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Mahama’s spokesperson, told Citi FM in an interview that a debate with Vice President Bawumia is unnecessary, asserting that the records are clear for all Ghanaians to see. Mahama recently engaged with the media on July 7 in Accra, where he elaborated on his proposed policies to revive the struggling economy and addressed numerous questions from journalists at the Kempinski Hotel.
