Former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has questioned the leadership suitability of former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
He argues that personal goodwill alone is insufficient to govern Ghana in its current political and economic context. He made the remarks during an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, January 12.
According to Prof Frimpong-Boateng, Ghana requires firm, principled and decisive leadership rooted in strong institutional values, particularly at a time when public confidence in political parties is waning.
While acknowledging Dr Bawumia’s personal qualities, he was emphatic that those traits do not automatically translate into effective national leadership.
“Bawumia is a very nice person, but being nice alone is not enough to lead Nkrumah’s Ghana,” he said.
The former minister linked his criticism to what he described as the deterioration of internal democracy within the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He argued that the manner in which the party selected its most recent flagbearer reflected deeper structural problems.
“Look at how they elected their last flagbearer—bribing delegates, intimidating people and twisting arms. That is how corruption begins, and no serious party should tolerate that,” he stated.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng further suggested that the NPP’s failure to address these internal flaws contributed significantly to its poor showing in the last general elections.
He warned that ignoring the root causes of the defeat while attempting to retain the same leadership approach could lead to further electoral setbacks.
“We lost the elections badly, yet we refuse to deal with the issues that caused the loss. If they go back and elect the old flagbearer again, it will be a trainwreck,” he cautioned.
He concluded by stressing that his comments were not driven by personal animosity but by concern for Ghana’s democratic future.
In his view, the country needs leaders capable of confronting corruption, restoring party integrity and governing with the boldness associated with Ghana’s founding ideals under Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
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