Former President John Mahama “failed” in office and is the “worst” Fourth Republican president ever, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has asserted.

Speaking at the NPP International Conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Saturday, 23 March 2024, the flagbearer of the governing New Patriotic Party said even as vice president, his track record is unparalleled by that of the flagbearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress.

"I have not been president before, but through my role as vice president, I have demonstrated that I will be a hard-working president who will work very hard to address problems confronting our sustainable development”, Dr Bawumia said.

"Former President Mahama has been president before but what was his track record? He failed”, Dr Bawumia asserted, explaining: “He failed to tackle corruption and many problems”.

Vice President Bawumia indicated: “If you look at all the economic data in the 4th Republic, Mahama has been the worst president."

He said: "John Mahama doesn't represent change because he was there as president and he has been rejected twice in 2016 and 2020. I have not been president before and my record as vice president is there for all to see. John Mahama represents the past and I represent the next chapter and future of our country."

At this juncture of Ghana’s development, Dr Bawumia said the country “needs problem-solvers, generational-thinkers and people with innovative ideas”, traits, he pointed out can be found in in him.

"I am a problem-solver and a generational thinker with innovative ideas. I have a solid track record as vice president to prove it”, he added.

To buttress his assertion, Dr Bawumia listed what he refers to as his achievements in office.

He mentioned the digital national identity system to solve the generational problem of lack of national identity and exclusion; the digital national property address system to address the problem of lack of property identity; mobile money interoperability to resolve the issue of financial exclusion and promote a cashless society; digitalisation of public services to promote efficiency and reduce corruption; delivery of essential drugs to remote areas through drones, as well as other policies such as the ‘One Ambulance One Constituency and Agenda 111 hospitals.