Attempts To Use Dr. Bawumia's Religion And Ethnicity Against Him Are Unfounded, Concludes Amidu Chinia Issahaku.

Bawumia in Smock

...and can Destroy The NPP's Cohesion; Written by: Hon. Amidu Chinnia Issahaku, Sissala East MP

A few months before the NPP presidential primaries, party leaders have begun to engage in extremely dangerous tribal and religious politics, as if they are unaware of the party's history and tradition. I would not want to go into their trivialities but I would want to answer some few questions often asked since it is clear that Alhaji Dr. Mahamud Bawumia would emerge as the flagbearer of the NPP and the next president of Ghana, In sha Allah.

1. Are there Christian majority countries in Africa that have Muslims elected as presidents:

Ans: Yes. Tanzanian has a 63% Christian population as against 34.1 % for the Muslims and yet a Muslim, Samia Suluhu Hassan is their president since 2021. Before her, Ali Hassan Mwinyi was president for 10years between 1985 to 1995. Finally, Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete was a Muslim president of Tanzania between 2005 to 2015.

Gabon has a Christian population of 75.6% with 12.2% being Muslims and yet their elected president, Ali Bongo, is a Muslim. In fact, the Muslims have been ruling Gabon for the past 50years despite they being in the extreme minority.

Though not a country, London with it’s huge Christian population recently elected a Muslim, Sadiq Khan, as its mayor. The first Muslim to ever hold that position.

2. Are there Muslim majority countries with Christian presidents?

And: Yes. Senegal with 96.6% Muslims and 3.3% Christians have voted for a Christian, Macky Sall, to be their president since 2012 to date. Before him, a devoted Catholic, Leopold Sedar Senghor, was elected president between 1960 to 1980. A period of 20 years.

Nigeria with a Muslim population of 50% and a 40% Christian population had on three occasions elected Christians as their presidents since their return to democracy in 1999. Olusegun Obasanjo was elected twice from 1999 to 2007 and Goodluck Jonathan was also elected from 2011 to 2015.

In Ivory Coast, there is a Muslim majority of 42.5% as against a Christian population of 39.8% yet they had three different Christians ruling them at different stages. Laurent Gbagbo, a Christian was voted for and before him, Felix Houphouet Boigny, a Catholic, was also voted for a period of 33years between 1960 to 1993. There was also the 6years presidency of another Catholic, Aime Henry Konan Bedie, between 1993 to 1999.

To our north, Burkina Faso has a Muslim population of 64% yet they voted for a Christian, Roch March Christian Kabore, between 2015 to 2022.

Outside Africa, Lebanon is a Muslim majority country and in fact an Arab country but voted for a Christian, Michel Suleiman, to be their president between 2008 to 2014.

3. In Ghana, have there been situations Muslims have won in Christian majority constituencies?

Ans: Yes. There are many cases since our independence but there are some few I would mention that happened in recent times. Hon. Baba Jamal is a Muslim that won in the Christian majority Akwatia constituency in 2012. Hon. KT Hammond is another Muslim that has been winning in the Adansi Asokwa constituency in the Ashanti Region.

4. In Ghana, have there been situations Christians have won in Muslim majority constituencies?

Ans: Yes and there are many examples. Hon. Henry Quartey has been winning in the Muslim dominated Ayawaso Central constituency since 2008. At Adenta, Hon. Yaw Buabeng Asamoah, a Christian won the seat in 2016 though the Muslims are the majority there. Hon. Abu Jinapor is a Christian but he’s the MP for Muslim dominated Damongo. The same applies to his brother Hon. John Jinapor. Former president John Mahama was MP for 12years in one of the oldest Muslim communities in West Africa, Bole Bamboi, and yet he is a Christian. At Madina, Hon. Francis Xavier Sosu defeated a committed Muslim in a Muslim majority constituency in 2020. Between 2000 to 2008, the Sissala East constituency voted for a Christian, Hon. Moses Dani Baah, as our MP. There are many more examples I can add like that of Wa East in 2008 and 2016 among others. These victories cuts across the political divide.

5. What has been the contributions of the northern zone to the cause of the NPP?

Ans: Presently, of the 137 seats held by the NPP in parliament, 20 are from the northern zone (Muslim MPs from any other parts of Ghana are excluded). The combination of Western, Western North and Central Regions gave the NPP 22 seats. The Greater Accra, Volta and Oti Regions also gave 15seats whilst the Ahafo, Bono and Bono East has 13seats. The rest of the seats are from the Ashanti and Eastern Regions.

That aside the five Northern Regions gave president Nana Akufo-Addo a total of 883,765 votes in the 2020 presidential elections. These votes are exclusive of the northern, Zongo and Muslims votes that are found in the 11 Regions of Southern Ghana and the Volta and Oti Regions. President Nana Akufo-Addo won the 2020 presidential elections with a little over 500,000 votes. Meaning without the votes from the Northern, Zongo and Muslim communities, the NDC and former president John Mahama would have won the 2020 elections. The same applies to the 2016 elections. Even in the 2000 presidential elections, then candidate Kuffuor won in difficult Zongo areas like Ayawaso East with 48.35%, Ashaiman with 58.2% and Ayawaso Central with 56.99%.

6. Do Ghanaians vote based on religion and ethnicity?

And: The facts from the political history of Ghana don’t support this. Dr. Nkrumah though from a minority even among the Akans ruled Ghana for 16years. The same pertains to former president Rawlings and Dr. Hilla Limann.

7. Can the ballots of only one ethnic group make you president in Ghana?

Ans: It cannot. President Akufo Addo won tremendously in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions in 2012 but it couldn’t translate into a presidential victory. The same applied to president Kuffuor in 1996 and Prof. Adu Boahen in 1992. That is why the NPP believe in a religious and ethnic hybrid presidential candidates in every election since 1992.

8. What is the performance of the NPP in the Northern Regions since the political incursion of Dr. Bawumia in 2008?

Ans: The NPP fell from the 39.8% we had in 1996 to 35.6% in 2004 in the Northern Region for example. But since the selection of Dr. Bawumia as a running companion to then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP has cut down the gains of the NDC and are on the way to having a majority and total control of the Region. The NPP increased from the 35.6% we had in 2004 to 38.1% in 2008, 38.8% in 2012, 41.3% in 2016 and 46.4% in 2020.

At Parliament in 2004, of the 26seats available in the then Northern Region, the NDC took 17 as against 8 for the NPP. The situation exacerbated in 2008, when the NDC won 20 seats to the NPP's four. In 2012, the NDC had 11 seats compared to the NPP's six in the newly redesigned Northern Region. In 2016 and 2020, however, the two political parties will have 9 delegates each. However, the NPP had more seats than the NDC in the North East Constituency and trailed the NDC by only one seat in John Mahama's own Savannah Region.

Are Muslims and northerners the majority of ministers in Akufo-Addo's cabinet?

The Nana Akufo-Addo administration has successfully appointed a large number of ministers of northern descent, but they are not the majority. We presently have 13 plus 5 regional ministers, for a total of 18, from the five Northern Regions, out of over 80 ministers appointed. The vast majority of ministers hail from the Ashanti and Eastern regions of Ghana. It is completely inappropriate for a party leader to attempt to create the impression that the North is one region with this many ministers.

Is there anything the NPP can learn from the ongoing tribal and religious campaign?

Ans: Many. The NPP has yet to convince the people of the Volta and Oti Regions following the infamous statement by Victor Owusu that Ewes are inwardly focused. Aside from this, Dr. Busia's Aliens Compliance Order policy in the 1970s drove many zongo people away from the NPP. Former president Kuffuor's inclusive policies and pleadings were required before they began voting for the NPP. Remember that in 2000, former president Kuffuor won many zongo communities, including the most populous zongo constituency in Ghana, East Ayawaso, which includes Nima, Maamobi, 441, portions of Kotobabi, and Accra Newtown. All of these achievements would be reversed if the current tribal and religious campaign against Dr. Bawumia, the people of northern descent, and Muslims continues unabated. There is no evidence to support the claim that Ghanaians don't want a Muslim president, as depicted by a few desperate politicians who believe they can use this argument to win NPP internal elections.
Allow me to emphasize that the North and Muslims are significant minorities within the NPP. It is true that the majority of NPP votes come from Akan areas, but the party cannot win elections without Northern and Muslim support. In the 2020 presidential election, we won by less than 500,000 votes, while the North gave us over 800,000 votes. Therefore, if you remove the 800,000 Akans, the NPP would have lost the majority of its ballots.

In spite of our religious and ethnic diversity, Ghana is a very tolerant country that is respected around the world because of its unity. Instead of inciting religious and ethnic tensions, candidates and their supporters should campaign on the merits of their messages. The NPP must win the presidential elections of 2024, and we must avoid creating obstacles that would prevent this.
Let every candidate and supporter campaign solely on issues, excluding ethnicity and religion; otherwise, we have only ourselves to blame.