The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is feeling uneasy within since it seems that their plan to damage Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s reputation is not working as planned.
Concerned NDC supporter James Essilfie Conduah has written an open letter that was published on Ghanaguardian.com. He highlights important concerns and calls for a shift in the party’s campaign strategy, emphasizing the futility of calling Dr. Bawumia a liar.
Conduah, who has been following Ghanaian elections since 1996, voiced dissatisfaction with the current campaign strategy of the main opposition party.
“Having actively followed seven general elections, from the 1996 election, which the late President Rawlings won, I must admit, rather reluctantly and with disappointment, that the 2024 elections campaign of our party is the least effective in terms of messaging,” the member of the NDC stated.
He pointed out that the Vice President’s popularity is still growing in spite of the NDC’s attempts to discredit Dr. Bawumia.
“Over the past few years, it has been increasingly clear to us that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President, will most likely lead the NPP in the 2024 presidential election. As a result, we devised a plan to undermine his credibility by calling him out on lies whenever possible.
“At first, I thought this was a really smart move, and it seemed to be holding true for a while. But now that the campaign is really underway, I’m questioning the viability of this tactic. It seems that this tactic is failing, as Dr. Bawumia travels the nation appearing to be backfiring because, as Dr. Bawumia goes around the country, he appears to be more popular than ever.
“Why is this man, whom we have spent all of our time calling out and exposing as a liar, still well-liked by the public? Naturally, the solution is straightforward. To call someone a liar, you need to be able to provide proof of the lies they have told. Even though we have called him a liar over the years, Bawumia still brings up a number of things he claimed he would achieve but was never able to accomplish. This is a candid admission, and my party strategists ought to note this.
Defying the claims made by the NDC, Dr. Bawumia, the candidate representing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 presidential election, has been demonstrating his achievements and vision during his campaign trail, which, according to Conduah, is resonating with many Ghanaians.
“Bawumia is traveling about promoting his message to Ghanaians about his accomplishments as Vice President, while we keep calling him names in the hopes that it will damage his reputation. He is outlining his goals and highlighting his accomplishments. “I’ll be honest; I’ve watched recordings of Dr. Bawumia during his campaign, and I really like his message. And this bothers me as a supporter of the NDC,” he wrote in the open letter. According to information obtained from the NDC, opposition party officials are extremely concerned about the sizeable crowds that greet Dr. Bawumia on his visits to the Northern regions.
Yendi, Nanton, and Karaga were visited by Dr. Bawumia’s entourage during his current campaign tour. They were showered with what can only be described as an enormous amount of love from party members and supporters.
Habib Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tolon Constituency, stated in a recent media commentary that the NDC is terrified of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s movement.
They are alarmed by our flagbearer’s movements since he is a sincere advocate for the cause. In light of this, they receive input from their constituents,” the deputy Majority Chief Whip stated during GHOne TV’s State of Affairs with Lantam Papanko.
In the meantime, James Essilfie Conduah noted in his open letter that a number of government programs led by Dr. Bawumia, including Agenda 111, One Constituency One Ambulance, Zongo Development Fund, Ghanacard, Digital Address System, Mobile Money Interoperability, Paperless Ports, and the Gold for Oil policy, among others, have gained significant traction among voters.
The ability to travel to Ghana with your Ghanacard, the Digital Address System, Mobile Money Interoperability, Paperless Ports, Gold for Oil, the ability to purchase ECG credit on your phone, the ability to renew your NHIS membership on your phone, and the solution to the issue of ghost workers are just a few of the good policies that this person has started or supported.
“We labeled Bawumia a liar when he said that drones will transport medical supplies to far-off places! How do we persuade Ghanaians that he is a liar now that he has accomplished this? The people value Dr. Bawumia’s efforts and what he is selling since he has addressed important concerns in the community,” he remarked.
Conduah said the NDC’s attempt to paint Dr. Bawumia as a liar was a failure and lacked credibility, but added that the evidence suggests otherwise, rendering the NDC’s plan unworkable.
He therefore urged the party’s campaign leadership to take on the crucial duty of reevaluating its strategies and concentrating on policy in order to win back voter trust and offer a strong challenge to the ruling NPP.
See Conduah’s letter in full below:
Let’s alter our approach to the Dr. Bawumia campaign – an open letter from a worried NDC supporter
To My Fellow Soldiers,
I submit this open letter to my party’s leadership as a worried supporter of the great National Democratic Congress, with regrets and disappointments, but also with a rare candor from a party devotee.
Having observed seven general elections closely, starting with the one that the late President Rawlings won in 1996, I must reluctantly and with disappointment say that our party’s 2024 election campaign is the least successful in terms of messaging. Over the past few years, it has been increasingly evident to us that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President, will most likely lead the NPP in the 2024 presidential election. As a result, we devised a plan to undermine his credibility by calling him out on lies whenever possible.
At first, I thought this was a really smart move, and it seemed to be holding true for a while. But now that the campaign is really underway, I’m questioning the viability of this tactic. It seems that this tactic is failing, as Dr. Bawumia seems to be gaining more and more popularity as he travels the nation.
Why is the man we have been spending all of our time calling out and branding as a liar through our communicators, nonetheless well-liked by the public? There is, of course, an easy answer. If someone is accused of lying, you must be able to provide proof of the lies they have told. Although we have called him a liar throughout the years, Bawumia still cites numerous to many things he said he would do, which we said he could not do, which, he has been able to do. This is an honest admission, which any strategist for my party should point out.
Bawumia is traveling about promoting his message to Ghanaians about his accomplishments as vice president, while we keep calling him names in the hopes that it will damage his reputation. He is outlining his goals and highlighting his accomplishments.
Sincerely, I’ve watched recordings of Dr. Bawumia during his campaign, and I find his message to be quite persuasive. And this disturbs me as an NDC supporter.
One Constituency One Ambulance, Agenda 111, Zongo Development Fund, Ghanacard, the ability to travel to Ghana with your Ghanacard, the Digital Address System, Mobile Money Interoperability, Paperless Ports, Gold for Oil, and purchasing ECG credit on a mobile device are just a few of the good policies that this person has started or supported.
We declared Bawumia a liar when he claimed that drones will transport medical supplies to far-flung locations! How do we persuade Ghanaians that he is a liar now that he has accomplished this? The people value Dr. Bawumia’s efforts because they are genuine and address issues that are important to them. Most voters now recognize Dr. Bawumia as the best vice president of the fourth republic, therefore our attempt to paint him as somewhat dishonest is not effective.
I would counsel our NDC campaign leadership to veer off course and instead criticize Dr. Bawumia’s policies. By trying to paint him as a liar, we are actually increasing his popularity because it makes us look bad to the Ghanaian people.
We cannot keep calling him a liar even though the public has proof to the contrary.
A word to the wise…… !
James Essilfie Conduah
Concerned NDC sympathiser
