Former Dome Kwabenya lawmaker Sarah Adwoa Safo says former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia was “only the driver’s mate” in government and should not be blamed for Ghana’s economic troubles under the New Patriotic Party administration.
Speaking to party delegates ahead of the NPP’s Jan. 31, 2026 presidential primaries, Ms. Safo argued that Bawumia did not have the authority to overrule decisions taken at the highest level. “He was only the driver’s mate and could not overrule the driver, even if the driver was not performing well,” she said.
Hon. Adwoa Safo pointed to the role of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta in shaping economic policy. “Was Dr. Bawumia the finance minister? Were we not in government when some MPs said, because of the way our economy is being mismanaged, we should change the finance minister, did we? Didn’t he damage everything before he was changed, so how can we blame this on Bawumia?” she asked.
Her remarks come as some flagbearer aspirants have criticized Bawumia for the party’s economic record while in office.
Bawumia is one of five contenders in the primaries, facing former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, former Food and Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong, former Education Minister Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong.
