A Deputy Minister of Trade and Ministry, Michael Okyere Baafi, has refuted assertions that the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has not served the New Patriotic Party (NPP) long enough to lead it.

According to him, serving the NPP for a long time and funding it does not make one deserving to become the party’s leader because every individual in the party has a role to play.

Speaking to members of the NPP in a viral video sighted by GhanaWeb, the deputy minister, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) New Juaben South, cited the example of Paa Grant and other founding fathers of the NPP who funded the party but even demanded to lead it.

“Paa Grant was paying Kwame Nkrumah monthly, he was paying everybody in the party. He (Paa Grant) gave the party money anytime it needed it.

“But did you ever hear that JB Danquah and Paa Grant who were sponsoring the party demanded that they should be made flagbearers of the party?” an animated Okyere Baafi quizzed.

The MP, who is part of over 100 MPs who have declared their support for Vice President Bawumia’s presidential bid, added that if a financier of a political party decides to become its leader then he intends to collapse the party.

“In every political party if a financier decides to become the flagbearer of the party in order to become the president, then s/he wants to collapse the party.

“This would be the need of the party. Because in every party, every member has his or her role,” he said.

Watch Okyere Baafi’s spirited arguments in the video below:



BAI/OGB

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