President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has unraveled reasons behind choosing Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as his vice-presidential running mate in all the four elections he has contested.
He disclosed that he considered the vice president in all instances due to his cleverness and honesty.
President Akufo-Addo made this disclosure when he answered a question posed by Adwoa Boadiwaa, a pupil of the Association School, at the Jubilee House when they paid a courtesy call on him Thursday, October 26, 2023.
“Of all the people, why did I choose Bawumia as the Vice President, my goodness, that is a lot of questions. But em…I think you are aware [that] in terms of the balance, people from the south, people from the north…I think that for the unity of the country, it is good that we have a leadership where Northerners and Southerners are together so that the country can remain united.
“He [Dr Mahamudu Bawumia] is from the North and I wanted somebody from the North to partner me for the election and then for the governance. He [Dr Mahamudu Bawumia] is also a clever man and I needed his brains to help me govern the country effectively.
“He [Dr Mahamudu Bawumia] is an honest person. He speaks honestly to you. He is not one of those people who you have to guess what they are trying to say, he says what he has to say directly, and I like that. I prefer to deal with people who are very direct in what they say. These are some of the reasons why I chose Dr Bawumia to be my vice president,” President Akufo-Addo stated categorically.
Commenting on the criticism by the general public, he said, he takes it lightly because he sees criticism as part of the system of governance that he has always wanted for the country.
“There was a time in Ghana when it wasn’t like that when one man spoke, that was that. I have never liked that kind of situation because I don’t believe that [there should be a situation] where one man knows everything.
“It is better to have a system where lots of ideas and lots of brains are brought forward to work with, so that is the first thing. I approve of a system whereby people can criticize the President. When that happens, it will look strange when I get agitated when people start criticizing me. I am not God, I cannot be, none of us are, but we do our best.
“Criticism is good, it helps you to see things that you may not be seeing, and it opens up different perspectives. A lot of times, you can disagree with your critics, but sometimes, there is something in the criticism that is of use and of benefit that [you can use to do something useful],” he emphasized.
He added “That is the reason why I don’t get agitated when people criticize me, I think it is their right to do so just as much as I think it is my right to ignore their criticism if I think there is no substance in it.”
