Corrupt Bawumia cannot be trusted to fight corruption – NDC

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its flagbearer, Dr Mahamadu Bawumia, cannot be trusted to fight corruption in the country.

According to the Party, the NPP and its flagbearer, also the Vice President, had supervised the “worst and most” corrupt government in the history of the country and therefore, could not be trusted to solve the menace.

Addressing the media at its “Moment of Truth” series, in Accra, on Wednesday, Mr Sammy Gyamfi, who is the National  Communications Officer of the NDC, said corruption and corruption-related activities had flourished under the NPP government.

He accused Dr Bawumia of nepotism, claiming that under the current administration, questionable and “overpriced” sole-sourced contracts had been awarded to relatives of government officials particularly, that of the Vice President.

For instance, Mr Gyamfi accused the government of awarding five different contracts worth GHC218 million to a firm owned by a brother of the Vice President, all through sole sourcing.

In 2019, for example, he said, a GHC52.25 million sole-sourced contract was awarded to the firm owned by the said brother of Dr Bawuma for the Phase One of the rehabilitation of the Sunyani Airport.

Again, Mr Gyamfi said, government in 2020, awarded two cocoa road projects – upgrading of the 22.18km Assin Akropong – Odomasi – Asibrem and the upgrading of the 14.50km Kyibosohasowodze bungalow feeder road, at a cost of GHC83 million to the same company through sole sourcing.

Also, the rehabilitation of selected roads in Teshi Camp, Southern Command, Military Academy Training School; the partial reconstruction of 44.49km of selected roads in Accra and the construction of Sunyani By-Pass Outer Ring from Kumasi-Berekum road, were all awarded to the same company through sole sourcing, he said.

“This canker of overpriced sole-sourced contracts is causing the nation to lose billions of cedis which could have been invested in productive ventures to create opportunities and prosperity for all Ghanaians,” he said.

The Communications Officer of the NDC, said the aforementioned incidents indicated that Dr Bawumia was “neck deep in the rampant corruption and nepotism” that had characterised the current administration.

“He cannot therefore be trusted to fight the canker of corruption, as he himself is an integral part of the free-for-all grabbing of state resources,” he added.

Mr Gyamfi, therefore, urged Ghanaians to reject the NPP and Dr Bawumia, and rather vote for its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, come December 7 election, stressing that the former President had the track-record and the political will to fight corruption.

He indicated that under the former President’s administration, he (John Mahama) allowed unhindered probe into corruption scandals such as the GYEEDA, National Service and the bus branding scandals.

“President Mahama is a man of impeccable and unblemished integrity,” he said.

“He is certainly the visionary and incorruptible leader we can trust to rescue our dear nation from the abyss and lead us to build the Ghana we all want, a Ghana where corrupt officials are punished and stolen funds retrieved for nation building.”

Mr Gyamfi also assured that the next NDC government would investigate and thrive monies lost through sole sourced contracts.