David Hundeyin draws response from Ghana's Vice President after wild allegation

Ghana's Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has denied allegations made by investigative journalist, David Hundeyin that his campaign to become the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer is being sponsored by an Islamic group in Nigeria.

This was made known in a statement by the Communications Directorate of the Office of Vice President on Wednesday, July 19.

The directorate addressed the claims made by Mr. Hundeyin and subsequently picked up by certain political actors in Ghana for their own propaganda objectives.

The statement firmly dismissed the allegations as false and fabricated, designed solely to serve the propagandistic purposes of its promoters.

It also emphasized that Dr. Bawumia's campaign has no financial ties or affiliations with any Islamic group in Nigeria or elsewhere.

"The attention of the Bawumia Campaign Team has been drawn to a post by one David Hundeyin, a journalist in Nigeria, that the Bawumia Campaign is being funded by some Islamic group in Nigeria called the ACF," the statement read. "We notice that the same narrative has been copied by some persons and groups in Ghana on social media."

The campaign team asserted that such narratives lack veracity and are mere attempts to distract from their focused campaign efforts. They reiterated their unwavering commitment to transparency and integrity, highlighting Dr Bawumia's track record as a diligent and principled individual throughout his academic, banking, and political career.

"The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has been very diligent and transparent from his days as a scholar, banker, and politician throughout his life and will not depart from these now and forever," the statement concluded.

Recall that David Hundeyin had alleged that Dr. Bawumia’s presidential bid is being funded by a lobby group in Northern Nigeria, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).

Hundeyin’s claim posted on Twitter was to drive home a point he was making about the extent to which lobbying and other subtle strategies can go to affect political outcomes and serve interest of lobbyists, local online portal GhanaWeb reported.

He cited the case of UK government backing groups in Nigeria’s north to buttress his point stating in one of his tweets: “Have you ever wondered how the UK government always seems to be aligned politically with the northern establishment? Yes there is historical context, Harold Wilson, bla bla bla but what else is the reason?

“It's because of several organizations like the Arewa Consultative Forum,” his tweet read.

The part on Bawumia and the ACF was by way of an example to back up his earlier tweet, it read: “These think tanks and lobby groups spend *millions* of dollars annually on local and foreign political astroturfing on a scale you cannot begin to comprehend.

“For example, the ACF is funding a Muslim candidate (Mahamudu Bawumia) in Ghana's 2024 election. You already know why.”

Meanwhile, the tweet has generated considerable engagement with Ghanaians dismissing his claims or demanding answers from the Bawumia campaign.