Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang no match for Bawumia, says Buaben Asamoa

The governing New Patriotic Party has welcomed the selection of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang by the National Democratic Congress and its flagbearer, John Mahama, as the running mate in the 7 December presidential election. The NPP says she will be no match for the NPP’s vice-presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

This was the assertion by the NPP’s director of communications, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, as he addressed members of the press at the party’s national campaign office in Kokomlemle, Accra.

“We can only conclude that the choice of Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang by Mr John Dramani Mahama is a clear indication that he does not take the Ghanaian electorate seriously.

“But then, as our own Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has famously said, it does not matter who the running mate is – if the main man himself is indecisive and incompetent, we still have a problem.

“It is our view that, having looked so long and wide, the NDC still has a problem,” Buaben Asamoa said.

Cold-hearted

According to the NPP communications chief: “Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, during the period she served as minister for education, performed abysmally, making the country’s education sector one of the worst-performing … during the John Mahama government.

“Need we remind anyone that it was during the tenure of Naana Jane that training teachers’ allowances were scrapped? It was done without paying any heed to the many appeals to reconsider the decision.

“Indeed, it was one of the things she was proud to have done. Teachers were the hardest hit when Naana Opoku-Agyemang was at the helm of affairs at the Education Ministry,” said Buaben Asamoa.

“Apart from their transportation allowances not being paid, Naana Opoku-Agyemang also introduced the practice of teachers working for two years without being paid and being restricted to being given only three months’ back pay, no matter how long they had worked.

“This inhumane treatment meted out to Ghanaian teachers at the time was the brainchild of Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the then minister for education,” Buaben Asamoa concluded. “The cold-hearted manner in which teachers were treated by Naana Opoku-Agyemang cannot easily be forgotten.,” Buaben Asamoa.

Congratulations

As a party, however, the NPP congratulated the NDC on having finally chosen a running mate for the December polls.

An NPP statement assured the nominee that the party will confront her squarely over her record from when she served in government under John Mahama.

“It has certainly taken a long time for the selection to be done, but as the saying goes, better late than never; and we wish to congratulate the NDC and Mr Mahamna for finally picking a running mate.

“We extend our congratulations to Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang on her selection,” a statement by Buaben Asamoa said.

Unanimous approval

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang was nominated to run in the number-two slot for the NDC.

She was presented to the NDC’s National Executive Committee today (6 July 2020) by the party’s flagbearer, John Mahama.

The party’s Executive Committee unanimously endorsed the nominee as the running mate for the NDC in the December 2020 presidential election.

Profile

Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang was born on 22 November 1951 in Cape Coast.

She was appointed an education minister in 2013 by the then president, John Mahama, after the 2012 general election.

She served as minister in charge of education until January 2017, when the Akufo-Addo-led government entered office.

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