A former member of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ohene Now, has claimed that the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, was not a party member as of 2008.

He said when Akufo-Addo chose Bawumia as running mate that year, he flouted the party’s constitution that dictates that whoever runs for that office must be a card-bearing member of the party for at least 5 years and in good standing.

This constitutional condition, according to Ohene Ntow, disqualified Bawumia, however, AKufo-Addo got party executives to accept him as running mate, thus foisting him on them.

Ohene Ntow made this claim Monday night in an interview on TV3’s Ghana Tonight show.

His comments come on the back of his expulsion, along with three others, from the NPP for publicly pledging their support for Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who has left the NPP and gone independent.

Ohene Ntow who was the General Secretary of the party at the time Akufo-Addo ‘forced’ Bawumia on them, explained that Akufo-Addo managed to convince the party executives that Bawumia was an expert in economic management and so the party would fare better if they waived that constitutional demand and accepted him as his running mate.

He revealed that some party members had reservations about Akufo-Addo’s demand, however, they had to give in because they were told that Bawumia was an expert.

Now, he said Ghana has witnessed a downward economic performance since Akufo-Addo and Bawumia took over, implying that Bawumia was foisted on them for nothing.

Ohene Ntow noted that today, even staunch NPP members are complaining of the untold hardship this political regime has brought to Ghanaians.

“This is a man that we were made to believe that if he is put in charge, everything will be fine. Today, even NPP people are complaining about exchange rate and everything in this bad economy and governance,” Ohene Ntow lamented.

“The major complaints about this government are the instability of the cedi which is negatively affecting every aspect of the economy, level of borrowing that has never happened before in Ghana, burdening Ghanaians with taxes, and these are the very things Alan would make better if given the mandate,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, reaffirming his support for Alan, Ohene Ntow said he is unperturbed about the party’s decision to revoke his membership, though he was yet to receive official communication from the NPP.

He and Yaw Buabeng Asamoa, Abubakar Saddique Boniface, and Hopeson Adorye, have been expelled from the NPP for campaigning for Alan.

The party says it is unacceptable for a member to show support for any other person other than the flagbearer elected by the party.