Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, a former Speaker of Parliament, has absolved the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, of the downturns in the Akufo-Addo-led administration.
Although a Vice President, Prof. Oquaye says the buck stops at the President and he (the President), should therefore be held accountable for whatever ensues in the administration.
Highlighting on some of the qualities a Vice Presidential candidate should have in the New Patriotic Party’s run-up to selecting a running mate for Dr. Bawumia, the flag bearer, the lawyer and Reverend minister blaming Bawumia for the ills of the current administration would be utterly erroneous.
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.
He 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.
Meanwhile, the former Dome Kwabenya lawmaker has advised the NPP to consider a candidate from the Ashanti region to partner Dr. Bawumia since the region has been the party’s “food basket”.
“It appears that there is a feeling generally that if we had a candidate from the Ashanti region, –after all the bread basket of the party –it would be reasonable and sensible to balance the ticket. Therefore, it is important to factor that into the equation,” he noted.
Meanwhile, he says “it doesn’t mean that you should work that way by all means but it is a factor.”
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