Tuo Zaafi For Ghanaian Voters To Eat: Why Does Bawumia Want To Be President?

Politics is ultimately about trust before voters hand power to any leader, they want to know whether previous promises were fulfilled, whether mistakes were acknowledged, and whether there is a credible vision for the future. As Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia positions himself to become president in 2028, his statements are becoming increasingly difficult to avoid. Why is Bawumia’s comments are threatening his bid to become president.

Even though I can't confirm whether it's true, his recent comments that Ghanaians should vote for him in 2028 and that he would prepare tuo zaafi for everyone to eat, have generated public discussion and amusement. While some supporters viewed the remarks as a light-hearted cultural reference, many Ghanaians are asking how serious is Bawumia, someone who wants to become president? Is this a political message, or one of his policies? According to sources, he made the statement in his native language.

The host of the news programme translated what the NPP presidential flagbearer said. I do not question the accuracy of the translation, as some of the people around him burst into laughter after he made the statement.

The challenge confronting Dr. Bawumia goes beyond a single statement. For many voters, the debate centers on his record as Vice President during the Akufo-Addo administration. During that period, Ghana experienced severe economic difficulties, including high inflation, debt challenges, and the controversial domestic debt restructuring program that affected businesses, investors, households and sent pensioners to their early grave.

Critics also continue to revisit his earlier promises associated with sanitation and public facilities. Ghanaians have repeatedly cited commitments relating to solving toilet and water challenges in communities and have argued that many of those expectations remain unmet. During the era of Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government, parliament passed and approved finances for projects but many were never constructed.

Credit to the host: King Fantastic of "Ghanaian Citizen TV."

All these shortcomings and unconvincing statements of Bawumia, are not convincing voters that he has something new to offer or has something Ghanaian voters would consider voting for him as president. Political communication also matters, therefore, citizens facing unemployment, rising living costs and economic uncertainty often expect leaders to present detailed plans rather than slogans or symbolic promises.

Fairly or unfairly, every public statement by a presidential hopeful is scrutinized as evidence of priorities, seriousness and readiness for office. Therefore, preparing tuo zaafi is not a convincing message Ghanaians want. The real issue is whether he can provide convincing answers about economic recovery, job creation, public services, national debt and the lessons learned from the challenges of recent years.

Those are the subjects likely to determine the outcome of any future election. As Ghana moves towards another political cycle, voters will once again ask a simple question: why should they entrust the country's future to a leader who was already at the center of power when many of today's problems emerged? Until that question is answered convincingly, Bawumia may continue to face skepticism from significant sections of the electorate.

In the end, elections are not won through humor, symbolism or memorable soundbites, they are won through credibility, accountability and a vision that persuades citizens that tomorrow will be better than today. It seems that Bawumia often focused on relatively modest and easiest projects rather than outlining a record of major infrastructure achievements, yet he couldn’t build them, for example, the common toilets.