In a recent statement, Kofi Bentil, Senior Vice President of IMANI-Africa, expressed his readiness to critique Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should he assume office and make key appointments within the Akufo-Addo-led administration. Bentil emphasized that the most significant challenge facing the 2024 flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lies in the current regime and its appointed officials.
During an appearance on JoyNews’ Newsfile, the outspoken lawyer stressed the importance of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia establishing a new administration entirely separate from the current one.
“This regime has been terribly corrupt. As per the Corruption Perception Index, this government has been more corrupt than Mahama’s government and that has been disappointing and terrible but that is why this government is going away.”
“If this was a vote for their second term I would have voted them out but by the design in our constitution, this government and all its people are going away and the biggest baggage Vice President Bawumia has is this government. He is having to pay for the sins of this government and he is part of it.”
“But the next government is not President Akufo-Addo’s government and one of the things that I want to see and I have found a way to tell Vice President Bawumia is that ‘I don’t want to see key members of this government in his team’. If he does that I will criticise him,” he said.
In light of recent statements made by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate of the NPP, declaring his intention to govern independently, there is much discussion surrounding his proposed policies.
Dr. Bawumia has outlined his plans, including the elimination of the E-levy, emissions tax, VAT on electricity, and betting tax, along with a commitment to reduce the number of ministers to fifty if elected.
However, his proposals have sparked criticism, particularly from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and many social media users, who have voiced skepticism about the feasibility and implications of his plans.
Regarding this matter, Mr. Bentil asserts that there have been several occasions when the Vice President has opposed certain government policies.
“I think if you see the utterances of this person before and his actions and utterances after you can get exactly where he is going. Let me take e-levy for example, clearly, he was against it because he made utterances before and then a decision is made by his boss that ‘we are going to go this way’.
“Instruction was given to the Finance Minister and when people talk about why he didn’t resign, see when it is not your right to make decisions and the person whose right it is to make a decision makes it, you don’t have a right to say you are going to resign. You have done your job. But he stayed there and fought for the GH₵100 exemption. That is the driver-mate thing that people don’t seem to understand.
“The ultimate decision is that we are going to do e-levy and it is done against his express objection but then he says ‘ok, you are going to do it but can you exempt GH₵100?’. He fights for it and gets that. That is what you get by staying there and that is what he meant by being a mate.
“You don’t make the decision but you influence it. Now they could have refused that too but at least he got that. When you give your ideas and advice and it is not taken, you cannot be blamed. It is the person responsible who should answer for it.”
