Article By Michael Ofosu-Afriyie, Kumasi
As a professional journalist with over 16 years experience in political reporting and also as a polling station executive for the NPP in Asokwa Constituency for over two decades, i decided to pen down my time with the flag-bearer of the NPP, Dr Mahamodu Bawumia who i was privileged to tour the entire Ashanti region with ahead of the December 7 elections in 2024.
After an initial uncertainty of following the flag-bearer due to my fear for the frenetic speed vehicles travel with, i reluctantly accepted to do so having received a phone call by Gabriel Amoah, an assistant of a sort to Paul Yandoh, the substantive regional communications director.
The call was simple, that the Communications office wants me as the Ashanti Regional editor of the Ghanaian Observer Newspaper to join the NPP flag-bearer, Dr Bawumia who was touring Ashanti and to provide coverage for same.
I must state that i joined the team from the fourth day out of the 16 days the flag-bearer was billed to tour the Ashanti Region.
So alongside 14 other media houses the office had invited, i joined the media bus and was in the company of persons i knew and referred to as colleagues even though all of them were juniors in the job compared to time and experience.
It is also fair to state that the communication director due to the high numbers of media houses he was dealing with in Ashanti decided to practice a rotational system that would allow almost all the media houses to have an experience on its flag-bearer’s campaign tour.
Complaints:
On my first day, some colleagues who had been on the tour earlier, saw that i carried nothing on me apart from my bag which contained my note pad, pens and a water bottle.
They therefore advised that i either eat heavy in the mornings or carry some food along since they were served late while following the then Vice President and flag-bearer of the NPP on the tour.
They also mentioned that they were marked 400gh a day and that the communications director each night was adding 50gh to them as transportation to the homes since they were returning late in the night.
They however narrated to me how the opposition NDC whose Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia was treating our colleagues who had joined him on tour of same Ashanti region.
They claimed that the Chairman was giving the media persons three meals a day, GhC500.00 as pocket money and had allotted to them better vehicles, an issue friends confirmed to be true after my checks.
Armed with this information i braced myself up for the tough ride even though i must confess that i had been on such campaign trails with both Nana Akufo-Addo and John Mahama in 2016 and 2020 as well as previously in 2012.
Sad Reality:
So i said in my head that this Dr Bawumia tour would not be anything different since by experience i know politicians most times do not treat the media well especially on such occasions.
As if i knew what would come up, we were practically starved at times but we saved ourselves by using our pocket monies to buy food at places where we found same despite seeing members of the Vice-President’s press corps from Accra being fed fat and at regular intervals to our chagrin!
After the third day, Paul Yandoh reminded some of us that our days were up, even though he had allowed some media houses to stay permanent on the tour.
So the following day was the flag-bearer’s visit to the Asokwa constituency where i am very known for my work as media practitioner and NPP polling station secretary.
Despite not assigned to provide coverage on the day, i decided to attend since it was being held on the campus of my alma mater, Kumasi High School where the Ashanti Regional Women’s Organiser, Nana Ama Ampomah upon seeing me inquired why i did not join the media team at the DMB office where we converged every morning before we joined the flag-bearer’s convoy for the tour.
But after telling her about the arrangement by Paul Yandoh, she insisted i should join the team and complete the tour with them, an intervention i found difficult to object to due to my respect and affection for the lady i call “Obataanpa pretty giant.”
Experience:
However, despite these unsettling issues which colleagues and myself found distasteful, i must say that i had a great time following Dr Bawumia, a man i fell in love due to the brainy ideas he espoused at wherever we toured.
I saw in Dr Bawumia a man with a plan, a man with a vision and one who could articulate same to the admiration of his critics and opponents.
Here, i want to put on record that i started my political life as an ardent fan of Alan Kyerematen and was known for that in the Asokwa constituency from 2007 to 2012 and only fell for Akufo-Addo because the party chose him to lead!
Deception
But in the about 12 days i joined the tour I realised some inorganic stunts or deceptive escapades by some of the Ashanti Regional campaign team members.
I realised they were busing people to give the flag-bearer rousing welcomes during the tour and it became clearer to me when such actions failed at Adugyama and Subin where those who were doing that apparently let their guns down!
Why they were doing that remains mysterious to me but i realised that the flag-bearer fell for that and whether it was due to naivety or because he trusted his assigns to a falt i guess the December 7 elections brought out the true situation in the Ashanti Region!
Groups:
One remarkable observation i made during the rounds was also the groups that came to listen to Dr Bawumia. Most in unison were professing love for the flag-bearer afterwards.
However, just like some Pastors i know were articulating it appeared that the Christians amongst these groups were not sure of how a Muslim Presidency would be like.
Conclusion:
In my honest view, Dr Bawumia needs to work to assure Christians that he would be for them as he would be for the other faiths despite being a Muslim.
He also needs to work to imbibe in the population that one should cherish the competencies of people rather than placing premium on their tribes or the faiths they profess.
More To Come soon!
