A senior Political Scientist at the University Of Ghana, Dr. Ransford Gyampo has flayed NPP’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia for stooping so low by whipping up religious sentiments, describing the act as politically unwise and inconsequential.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the Presidency is religiously skewed.
According to him, the seat of government does not adequately reflect one part of the two dominant religious groupings in the country.
Addressing supporters of the New Patriotic Party in the Sissala East district of the Upper West region, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank urged the residents to vote for the NPP in the upcoming elections in order to bring religious balance to the presidency.
“Another major issue that I want to bring to the attention of the people is that; if we look at the flagstaff house today, it does not reflect the people of Ghana in terms of religion.
“We are in this country living peacefully and nicely; Christians and Muslims. So we believe in the NPP that Christians and Muslims should work together and that is why whenever we pick a flagbearer as a Christian, we pick a Muslim as a vice. And when we come and pick a Muslim as a flagbearer, we will pick a Christian as a vice. So if Insha Allah, Nana Akufo-Addo becomes president, he will swear with the Bible and enter the Flagstaff and I will swear with the Quran and enter the flagstaff House,” he noted.
Currently, Ghana’s President John Mahama and his vice, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur are both Christians.
However speaking to TV3, Dr. Gyampo stated that Dr. Bawumia’s comments are reprehensible as Ghanaians irrespective of our religious differences have always co-existed, adding it is totally needless for any person to create unnecessary hatred and division.
He said the comments are unlike Dr. Bawumia as he hit far too low below the belt, adding that he (Bawumia) is known to be smarter and talks about things that are of more concern to the ordinary Ghanaian.
“No politicians must try to create confusion in our body politic by whipping up religious sentiments. That is not the bread and butter issue that confront Ghanaians, the other time it was Dzifa Attivor whipping up ethnic sentiments and we saw the public condemnation, so trying to whip up religious sentiments is needless.
“Bawumia is smarter than this; he’s known to pontificate on critical issues hinging on the economy. His competence, fortitude, and resilient display during the election petition case at the Supreme Court, endeared him to a lot of well-meaning Ghanaians including myself.
So going forward I think whipping up religious sentiments instead of pontificating on issues and presenting alternative solutions to problems confronting people should not be the way to go. Whipping up religious and ethnic sentiments by politicians is politically unwise and inconsequential. I condemn that. This shouldn’t have come from someone like Bawumia, I think he’s smarter than this,” Dr. Gyampo noted.
