Founder of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has sharply critiqued former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s recent endorsement of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer for the 2024 general elections.
While acknowledging Kufuor’s right to support a candidate, Cudjoe did not mince words in calling out the contradictions and oversights in the endorsement, given the economic turmoil under the current administration.
Kufuor had urged Ghanaians to vote for Dr. Bawumia, expressing confidence in the Vice President’s ability to transform the nation. However, Franklin Cudjoe, in a Facebook post on Monday, November 18, questioned the rationale behind such a choice, citing the NPP government’s disastrous economic track record.
“President Kufuor has every right to choose anyone he wants to lead his party and the nation. But Ghanaians have an equal right to interrogate the basis of his support, particularly when this administration has plunged us into economic carnage, political chicanery, and international embarrassment,” Cudjoe stated.
Cudjoe was particularly critical of Kufuor’s silence during what he described as the government’s assault on citizens’ financial security. He highlighted the hardships inflicted by the NPP administration, including controversial financial sector reforms and pension “haircuts.”
“Where was President Kufuor’s voice when frail pensioners were forced to beg the government to spare their life savings, only to be met with brutal financial haircuts? These measures sent hundreds of senior citizens to their premature deaths while the administration claimed economic competence,” he lamented.
The IMANI Africa founder did not stop there. He accused the economic management team, headed by Dr. Bawumia, of recklessly steering the nation into a debt crisis while allowing corruption and environmental destruction to flourish.
“President Kufuor should be reminded that Nana Addo and his ‘solid’ economic management team, led by Bawumia, drove the nation into unsustainable debt, illegally seized citizens’ savings, imposed harsh financial losses on the public, and turned a blind eye to the ecological devastation caused by illegal mining,” Cudjoe charged.
Cudjoe concluded by urging Kufuor to use his statesmanship to encourage Ghanaians to make informed and peaceful decisions in the upcoming elections, rather than endorsing leadership that has presided over such widespread failures. His remarks have added fuel to the ongoing debate about the competence and legacy of the current administration as the nation prepares for a pivotal election.
Godfred Sey/ Ahotoronline.com
