“This election is about the economy, stupid!” Mahama to Bawumia

• Posted on October 31, 2024October 31, 2024
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

In a fiery address at a rally in Savelugu, Northern Region, on October 30, 2024, John Dramani Mahama, Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), lambasted Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia for evading crucial economic questions.

The two term defeated former President emphasized that a debate was unnecessary for Bawumia to address these questions, stressing that the economy was the central concern in this election.

John Mahama referenced Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” to drive home the point that Ghanaians are crying out for economic relief.

“I woke up this morning and saw 50 questions to me, but it looks like the Vice President has just learnt those things in his 50 questions like the way we learnt rhymes because I asked you five simple questions on the economy, that’s all, simple questions Ghanaians want you to answer and you go to respond with how many compost plants did you build? How many this did you build? But that is not the issue in Ghana today.

“Let me take you down memory lane, in 1992 there was election in America, it was between Bill Clinton and George Bush senior, at that time the American economy was in recession the way the Ghanaian economy is in crisis today, and people were talking about immigration and all kinds of useless things, you know what the Clinton people said, it’s about the economy …”

“Today I am repeating those words, this election is about the economy …, it’s not about all those other useless things about who built how many compost plants.

“This election is about the economy, stup!d! Answer the five simple questions,” he said.

Mr Mahama also mentioned that he had posed two questions to President Akufo-Addo, which remain unanswered.
He asserted that Dr Bawumia was brought in to fix the economy, but it continues to suffer.”

“You can hide behind a debate, you don’t need a debate to answer the five questions, when you asked Ammisah Authur 170 questions you didn’t agree to go debate for him to answer them . Akufo Addo too I have given him two questions he should come and answer them.

“You have destroyed the economy and that is true, even if you look at the 50 questions he asked me he has skillfully avoided the economy, there is nothing on the economy and that is why I gave him the question why are you running away from the economy because you were brought in to fix the economy and the economy is in a terrible state, just answer the five questions”.

He criticized Bawumia’s response of 50 questions, likening it to a kindergarten kid reciting a newly learned rhyme.

Bawumia’s Reaction

Bawumia had earlier responded with 50 questions to Mahama, which Mahama deemed unnecessary and evasive.

BY Daniel Bampoe