Former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu has criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for implicitly endorsing Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
The president, he claimed, had broken the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) constitution, which forbids the open endorsement of a presidential candidate.
Amidu recently expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of sincerity behind Akufo-Addo’s earlier assurance of an open internal election in a statement.
He emphasized that the promise was just a calculated action and was not meant to be carried out in reality.
“Every reasonable and objective Ghanaian should by now know that Nana Akufo-Addo’s previous promise for a free and fair internal NPP flagbearer election was made for reasons of the political expediency of the moment and not intended to be honoured in its observance.
“It is unfortunate that so many Ghanaians, including myself, have been deceived by his outward presentation of earnestness and apparent sincerity, only to realize belatedly that it is not all that glitters which is gold,” Amidu stated.
Amidu further asserts that by endorsing Dr. Bawumia, the President and other establishment figures have already violated the NPP Constitution, demonstrating a disregard for the party’s guiding principles.
“They have consequently,committed their fortunes to take part in and contest a free and fair election to determine who should lead their political party at the 2024 presidential election only to come to the realization that the cards were stacked against them by their own president and party executives.
“The NPP Constitution has already been violated by the President and other establishment endorsements of Dr. Bawumia. The argument, therefore, that the procedure being adopted now was adopted in 2014 is spurious because in 2014 the NPP was in opposition and the likelihood of incumbency advantage and presidential overreach was absent.”
Amidu also urged rival political parties to pay close attention to how the NPP manages its internal primaries as they get ready to run in the December 7, 2024, presidential election.
