Bawumia’s Hollow Apology: A Smokescreen for Power, Not Remorse

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has recently pleaded with Ghanaians to forgive the NPP for what he conveniently describes as “mistakes” made during their eight years in power. But let us not be fooled. This is not remorse. This is not truth. It is a calculated smokescreen—an insincere attempt to rebrand deliberate acts of plunder as innocent blunders. The reality is stark: the NPP did not make mistakes, they made choices. Choices that looted our nation, crippled our economy, and disrespected the Ghanaian people.

For eight long years, we watched scandal after scandal unfold. Public money meant for schools, hospitals, and roads disappeared into questionable deals. State lands were parceled out to party insiders as if the national treasury were their family inheritance. The much-trumpeted fight against illegal mining was nothing but a cruel joke, with powerful figures themselves neck-deep in the destruction of our environment. They wrapped corruption in the cloak of governance and left Ghanaians poorer, angrier, and betrayed.

And what did we inherit from them? A ballooned national debt with almost nothing to show for it. Billions borrowed, not to transform lives, but to line pockets and fuel an endless cycle of waste. Ordinary Ghanaians bore the brunt—skyrocketing prices, a collapsing cedi, unbearable unemployment, and families thrown into hardship while leaders fattened themselves on the people’s sweat. Even now, after leaving office, the rot continues to unravel. Their former Finance Minister has become a fugitive, refusing to face accountability for the mess he orchestrated. This is not the aftermath of “mistakes”; this is the consequence of deliberate theft and reckless governance.

And yet, Bawumia dares to ask for forgiveness. Not because he feels any true remorse. Not because the NPP has confessed, repented, or made amends. But because he sees an opening—an opportunity to reinvent himself for 2028. His apology is not a confession; it is a campaign strategy. He knows the anger in the country is raw, so he cloaks himself in humility hoping Ghanaians will soften. It is manipulation, not sincerity. If this is how he behaves now, when desperate to repair his image, what horrors should Ghanaians expect should he ascend to the presidency? If under his watch as Vice President the economy was wrecked, corruption flourished, and national debt skyrocketed, imagine the catastrophe if he holds the highest office.

Ghanaians must not be deceived. The current government has, in just nine months, shown us that the country can survive without reckless borrowing. It has proven that there is a path to governance rooted in accountability and restraint. Contrast this with the reckless legacy of the NPP, and the difference is day and night. To accept Bawumia’s apology would be to spit in the face of every Ghanaian who suffered, every family that went hungry, every business that collapsed, and every citizen forced to pay the price for the arrogance and greed of the last eight years.

Words alone cannot heal this wound. The NPP has already proven itself unworthy of trust. They have already shown us they are not leaders but plunderers. Ghana’s number one enemy has never been an external threat—it has been the betrayal by those entrusted to govern with integrity. That betrayal cannot and should not be excused with a mere apology.

If we, as a people, are serious about justice, progress, and dignity, then we must reject this hollow plea for forgiveness. We must demand accountability, not empty words. We must remind Dr. Bawumia and his cohorts that Ghanaians are not so gullible, not so forgetful, and certainly not so forgiving when it comes to deliberate sabotage of our future.

Bawumia is not asking for forgiveness out of regret. He is asking for it because he wants power again. But Ghanaians cannot afford another experiment with his brand of leadership. If eight years of his stewardship left us battered and broken, then his presidency would be nothing short of a national disaster.

The truth is simple: this apology is a lie. And Ghana must not buy it.