The Member of Parliament for Oforikrom, Dr. Emmanuel Marfo, has criticized the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for failing to align its actions with the policies and campaign promises of its presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, ahead of the 2024 elections.
Speaking on the contradictions within the party’s strategy, Dr. Marfo described the E-Levy as a major setback for a campaign that champions digitalization. “For someone championing digitalization, the E-Levy was a drawback, yet the President had signed it into law. It became a nuisance for many people,” he stated.
According to Dr. Marfo, such inconsistencies have significantly weakened the party’s credibility. He cited a popular saying to emphasize his point: “What you are doing is so loud, I cannot hear what you are saying.”
The Oforikrom legislator argued that these conflicting messages raised doubts among the electorate about Dr. Bawumia’s promises. “If the government, which has the power now, cannot implement what Dr. Bawumia is preaching, why should the electorate believe that he can do it when he assumes office?” he questioned.
Dr. Marfo expressed disappointment in President Nana Akufo-Addo, who has often described himself as Dr. Bawumia’s number-one supporter. He asserted that the President should have taken deliberate policy steps to align with the Vice President’s campaign message.
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“If he truly supports Dr. Bawumia, he should have taken policy steps to back him. But if the President himself doesn’t believe in Dr. Bawumia’s message, why should the electorate?” Dr. Marfo asked.
He further pointed to unresolved policy contradictions as reasons the NPP’s campaign struggled to resonate with voters. One such issue was the contentious E-Levy, which Dr. Bawumia promised to cancel if elected.
Dr. Marfo also highlighted the failure to act on key issues like the LGBTQ+ legislation, which he believed could have reinforced the party’s alignment with its candidate’s stance.
“Dr. Bawumia, during his campaign, clearly stated that LGBTQ+ would have no place in his administration. That was a strong message, and the timing was right for President Akufo-Addo to sign that into law when he had the opportunity. But that did not happen, creating the impression that the President and the Vice President were not on the same page,” he explained.
The MP concluded that such contradictions and a lack of policy cohesion hurt the party’s campaign, ultimately reducing its chances of achieving its much-touted goal of “breaking the 8.”
