The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has claimed that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, and his family were originally affiliated with the NDC, alleging that Bawumia joined the NPP using a forged party identity card.

Speaking during a campaign stop in Sewua in the Ashanti Region, Mr Asiedu Nketia asserted that Bawumia’s family had longstanding ties to the NDC.

He noted that Bawumia’s elder brother once served as Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso under the presidency of the late Prof. John Atta Mills, his mother was an NDC Women’s Organizer for Walewale, and his father served as Chairman of the Council of State.

Mr Asiedu Nketia further claimed that Bawumia’s two younger brothers had sought positions within the NDC, including as District Chief Executive and Parliamentary Candidate.

He also mentioned that Bawumia had received a scholarship to study abroad through his father’s influence as Council of State Chairman, which led to his eventual employment at the Bank of Ghana upon his return.

Questioning Bawumia’s integrity, Mr Asiedu Nketia suggested that if the Vice President could join the NPP under allegedly false pretences, it cast doubt on his truthfulness.

“NPP members know that if Dr. Bawumia is elected as President, he will continue to lie, as he has been taught by them to do,” he claimed.

The NDC Chairman criticized the NPP for selecting Bawumia, given his alleged NDC background and northern heritage, while the party has simultaneously labelled the NDC as a party for Northerners.