Prominent media personality, Okatakyie Afrifa, has descended heavily on the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fiifi Kwetey over tribal remarks he made.
According to him, Fiifi Kwetey’s remark purporting that Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia cannot be made the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) because he is a Northerner is a reckless statement.
The media personality questioned Fiifi Kwetey for saying the NPP is an Akan party and asked why the NDC has not ever selected an individual in the Ashanti region as a running mate.
This is what Fiifi Kwetey said that sparked the controversy: “Is Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia dreaming that in the unlikely event of NPP winning power, somehow after Akufo-Addo has run his term he [Bawumia] will be made the candidate of the NPP, Bawumia are you dreaming? You don’t the party in which you are? You don’t know that if you are not an Ashanti or Akyem you have no chance?”
In response to Fiifi Kwetey’s claims after Dr. Bawumia was elected as the flagbearer of the NPP chided him for making a tribalistic comment that add no value to the political arena.
He indicated that since the NDC has never appointed an Ashanti person as its running mate others can accuse them of being an ‘anti-Ashanti’ party.
“What Fiifi Kwetey said there is no sense in it. What is the meaning of this? Fiifi Kwaetey’s party [NDC] asked him if from 1992 to date they had even selected an Ashanti as his running mate. Even the NPP at least used to choose Northerners as running mates. We are asking him even the party chairman, if have they elected an Ashanti person before. These kinds of reckless statements politicians make in this country and they think it is normal.
“For politics' sake, we crush our heads. He said he can't be today Dr. Bawumia is the flagbearer of the NPP. Is the conversation supposed to be about tribes? You are the ones campaigning for Akan votes yet from 1992 to date you have not selected an Ashanti as running mate before. So should we say your party is anti-Ashanti? Going into the 2024 elections we are going to police the political arena,” he said during his show on Angel FM.
His comment comes after Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emerged victorious in the NPP Primaries, and was formally announced as flagbearer of the party ahead of the 2024 polls.
According to the official results, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia won with 118,210 votes, representing 61.47% of the total votes cast.
His closest contender, Kennedy Agyapong, secured the second position with 71,996 votes, which accounted for 35.52% of the total valid votes.
Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto garnered 1,459 votes, while the fourth contender got 781 votes.
