The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged Ghanaians to give him the mandate to serve them as President, when they go to the polls on December 07, 2024.
He says as a Vice President, he is not in charge of affairs, likening himself to a driver’s mate who only carries out instructions by the driver, in his case, the President.
The Vice President who is the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says, if he is voted into power as President, that is when the buck will stop at him, unlike it is currently.
During the commencement of his address to outline his vision for Ghana, should he becomes President, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Wednesday, February 07, 2024, Dr. Bawumia said “as Vice President, I am a driver’s mate, but if you vote for me, I’ll take the driver’s seat.”
Following his address Wednesday, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, a former Speaker of Parliament, had absolved him of the downturns in the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
Although a Vice President, Prof. Oquaye said the buck stops at the President and he should be held accountable for whatever ensues in the administration rather than the Vice President.
Prof. Oquaye was highlighting on some of the qualities a Vice Presidential candidate should have in the NPP’s run-up to selecting a running mate for Dr. Bawumia, when he said it was erroneous for the Vice President to be blamed for the woes of the ruling government.
Despite admitting the fact that the candidate should possess the credentials to supplement the President’s efforts, he noted the Veep is not the President since he does not lead the country.
“The person must also be knowledgeable enough to supplement the efforts of the President just like Dr. Bawumia has done. But nevertheless, he is not the President, there is only one President and the Vice President actually does not lead the country, it’s the President that leads the country. The buck stops with the President.
“Whatever is wrong is the responsibility of the President and I must tell you that in actual governance, a Chief of Staff may be stronger and dominance than the Vice President,” he told 3News’ Beatrice Claire Adu, in an exclusive interview.
The former Speaker of Parliament rejected the assertion that the performance of an administration is a collective effort from both the President and the Vice.
“It is not a collective thing. The British Prime Minister is described as the first among equals. Because the British cabinet is essentially responsible for the governance of Britain. It is not so and we have chosen a presidential system, therefore, good or bad, the buck fully stops with the president. This is the kind of governance we have,” he maintained.
Dan Botwe denies claims Akufo-Addo sacked DCEs for being anti-Bawumia
