Political analyst Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku has questioned recent claims suggesting that former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia was sidelined by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his cousin, former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, describing such assertions as unconvincing without corroboration from key insiders.
According to Dr. Kojo Opoku, until figures such as Samuel Abu Jinapor and Francis Asenso-Boakye—both senior members of Dr. Bawumia’s campaign team and widely regarded as trusted political protégés of former President Akufo-Addo—publicly confirm that Dr. Bawumia was indeed marginalized, it would be difficult to accept the claims being advanced by Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea.
Dr.Razak Kojo Opoku argued that Abu Jinapor and Asenso-Boakye were far closer to the inner workings of the Akufo-Addo presidency than Atta Akyea, noting that both men served as Deputy Chiefs of Staff at the Presidency.
“By virtue of their positions, they had deeper insight into decision-making processes at the highest level of government,” he said.
He further pointed out that while Abu Jinapor and Asenso-Boakye served in the Akufo-Addo administration throughout its entire eight-year tenure, Atta Akyea only served between 2017 and 2021.
From 2021 to January 2025, Dr. Opoku noted, Abu Jinapor and Asenso-Boakye were members of Cabinet alongside Dr. Bawumia and Ken Ofori-Atta, a period during which Atta Akyea was no longer in government.
“Hon. Atta Akyea was not part of Cabinet from 2021 to 2025, so the question is simple: who informed him that Dr. Bawumia was sidelined by President Akufo-Addo and Ken Ofori-Atta?” Dr. Opoku asked.
The political analyst also challenged the logic behind the sidelining narrative, arguing that it contradicts events within the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He recalled that President Akufo-Addo actively supported Dr. Bawumia’s bid to become the party’s flagbearer, culminating in his victory at the 2023 NPP presidential primaries.
“If President Akufo-Addo truly sidelined Dr. Bawumia, how does one explain the former president going all out to ensure Dr. Bawumia emerged as the NPP’s flagbearer?” he queried.
Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku cautioned against overemphasizing family ties in political analysis, stating that being cousins does not necessarily imply closeness or alignment. “Some cousins are not close, and in many cases, people are closer to friends than to distant relatives,” he remarked.
He concluded by urging political commentators and party actors to rely on verifiable facts and testimonies from those who were closest to the center of power, rather than speculative narratives that could mislead the public and distort recent political history.
