Dr. Bawumia has finally said the quiet part out loud. With stunning boldness, he admitted that many in his party went from rags to riches under his watch. The cat is out of the bag and it’s dragging behind it a trail of unanswered questions.

After years of economic mismanagement and empty slogans, the truth is finally catching up with the former vice president. His claim that his efforts made others rich is not just a political boast, it’s an unwelcome reminder of how power was used to benefit a few while the nation suffered. The chickens have come home to roost, and they’re roosting on the backs of betrayed citizens.

In a shocking and frankly disturbing admission on live television, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and the former flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), stated that “a lot of people in the party who were not rich became very rich within his Eight years in office” due to his efforts and contributions to the party's political victories.

He went further to demand gratitude, stating these individuals should now bring out their money to help the party ahead of the 2028 elections.

This public declaration, made with astounding audacity, demands not only condemnation but deep scrutiny, particularly in a nation struggling with poverty, unemployment, and a suffocating economic crisis.

Dr. Bawumia’s statement is not just a careless boast, it is an indictment of the very governance his party promised to improve. It raises critical questions about how political power was used during the NPP’s time in office and whether the public trust was betrayed to enrich a select few within party lines.

Ghanaians must ask: What exactly does Dr. Bawumia mean by making people rich? And through what means did this wealth creation occur? Was it through government contracts? Misappropriated funds? Nepotism? Cronyism? And if so, where does that leave the average Ghanaian who voted for economic transformation but was instead met with inflation, a collapsing cedi, and a mountain of public debt?

The former Vice President did not speak of national economic progress, job creation for youth, or wealth being distributed among hardworking Ghanaians. He did not celebrate the economic liberation of market women, farmers, artisans, or students. He spoke instead of the sudden wealth of a group of political elites, people who, by his own account, were not wealthy before the NPP took office but are now very rich. That is not just tone-deaf. It is a slap in the face of the suffering masses.

If this wealth was acquired legitimately, then Dr. Bawumia owes it to Ghanaians to name names and explain how exactly his efforts led to such an economic miracle for a few individuals. If these individuals acquired their wealth through state contracts, what was the process? Was due diligence followed? Was there value for money? Were these contracts audited and accounted for? Were taxes paid? And more importantly, were these opportunities available to all qualified Ghanaians or only to loyal party foot soldiers and cronies?

Dr. Bawumia must also be transparent about his own wealth. He entered politics as a technocrat, touted as a humble economist who could rescue Ghana’s economy.

Today, he is seen doling out cash at party events, sponsoring activities, and allegedly influencing internal party dynamics with financial muscle. How did he amass this fortune? If these were gifts, as some may suggest, has he paid taxes on them? Has he declared these assets? What are the Ghana Revenue Authority, EOCO and the Special Prosecutor doing about these revelations?

It is simply unacceptable that a former Vice President can openly admit that people became rich through politics on the back of public office and expect applause rather than accountability.

His statement exposes a dangerous culture of state capture, where political power is used not to serve the people but to serve insiders and enrich party loyalists. This must be condemned in no uncertain terms.

Dr. Bawumia, as the head of the economic management team then, must first account for the economic collapse under his watch, the worst in decades, which saw the country default on debt, run to the IMF, and experience historic inflation. He cannot now claim credit for making people rich without explaining how he himself enriched the few while the many suffered.

The people of Ghana deserve answers. They deserve humility, not hubris and arrogance. And above all, they deserve leaders who serve with integrity, not opportunists who exploit power for personal or partisan gain.

If Dr. Bawumia is serious about leadership and accountability, he must come clean. He must name the beneficiaries of this wealth he claims to have created. He must declare his own assets publicly and provide an audited explanation of his finances. Until then, his call for others to “bring out the money” rings hollow, offensive, and deeply troubling.