Don’t blame Bawumia for economic challenges – Adwoa Safo to NPP delegates

Former Member of Parliament for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has urged delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to disregard claims that former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was responsible for the mismanagement of Ghana’s economy under the party’s administration.

She mentioned that Dr. Bawumia remains the best choice to lead the party into the future.

Addressing a gathering of NPP delegates, Adwoa Safo argued that it is unfair to single out Dr Bawumia for the economic difficulties the country faced, stressing that his role in economic decision-making was limited and did not give him ultimate authority over fiscal policy.

She pointed to the influence of other senior government officials, particularly the former Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, in shaping and implementing economic policies during the NPP administration. According to her, criticisms being levelled against Dr Bawumia overlook the collective nature of governance and the specific responsibilities assigned to various officials.

“Was Dr Bawumia the finance minister? Were we not in government when some MPs said that because of the way our economy was being mismanaged, we should change the finance minister? Didn’t he damage everything before he was changed, so how can we blame this on Bawumia?” she questioned.

Adwoa Safo further explained that Dr Bawumia did not have the power to overrule decisions taken at the highest levels of government, even when he may have disagreed with them. Using a metaphor to illustrate her point, she said the former Vice President could not be held accountable for decisions he did not control.

“He was only the driver’s mate and could not overrule the driver, even if the driver was not performing well,” she said.

Her comments come amid growing debate within the NPP ahead of its presidential primaries, with some flagbearer aspirants attributing the party’s economic record in government to Dr Bawumia’s tenure as Vice President. Adwoa Safo rejected such arguments, urging party members to focus on competence, experience and the ability to unify the party going forward.

The NPP is scheduled to elect its presidential candidate on January 31, 2026, in preparation for the next general elections. Dr Bawumia is one of five aspirants vying for the flagbearer slot, alongside former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, former Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Bryan Acheampong, former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong.