Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, former Government Spokesperson on Governance and Security under the Akufo-Addo administration, has launched a scathing attack on Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, accusing him of seeking to absolve himself of responsibility for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the December 7, 2024, general elections.

During his ongoing Thank You Tour, Dr Bawumia identified several factors he believes contributed to the NPP’s electoral loss, including arrogance in governance, a rising cost of living, the refusal to reshuffle ministers, the unpopular Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy), and the controversial “haircut” policy implemented during the IMF debt restructuring programme.

According to Dr Bawumia, these developments subjected many Ghanaians to harsh economic realities.

However, Dr Boakye-Danquah, in a strongly-worded statement, dismissed Dr Bawumia’s explanations as a tactical manoeuvre to distance himself from the administration’s collective failures.

“As Vice President, he had a platform to voice dissent or influence policy but chose not to, only to later claim opposition when it suited his political ambitions,” he asserted.

He further accused Dr Bawumia of selectively detaching himself from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), which caused significant financial hardship and led to widespread protests by pensioners.

“Bawumia’s failure to publicly address or mitigate the DDEP’s impact, while now implying he was not fully responsible, reeks of opportunism and undermines the administration’s collective accountability,” Dr Boakye-Danquah added.

Highlighting what he termed acts of disloyalty, Dr Boakye-Danquah criticised Dr Bawumia for attempting to shift the blame for severe economic hardships, including a crippling cost-of-living crisis and the increase in petrol prices just days before the election, onto the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.

“His attempt to shift blame for economic hardships, such as the crippling cost-of-living crisis and soaring petrol prices—reportedly increased just three days before the 2024 elections—onto Akufo-Addo’s leadership is particularly disloyal,” he said.