Ablekuma North violence comment: Why should Sam George apologise to Ghanaians? – Mustapha Gbande

Deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mustapha Gbande, has defended Ningo-Prampram MP Sam George amid calls for him to apologise over his comments directed at Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Sam George, who also serves as the Minister for Communications, lashed out at Dr. Bawumia following his comments on the violence that disrupted the parliamentary election rerun in the Ablekuma North constituency on July 11, 2025.

In a strongly worded social media post, Sam George wrote, “Someone should tell Bawumia to shut up. What did he say about Ayawaso West Wuogon in 2019?”

His post was in response to Dr. Bawumia’s condemnation of the violence that occurred at the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station in Odorkor, where unidentified men disrupted the voting process, leading to assaults on former Fisheries Minister Hawa Koomson, other NPP members, and a journalist.

Dr. Bawumia had warned that the normalization of political violence posed a threat to Ghana’s democratic stability. “This will be a recipe for disaster if each political party raises its own army,” he stated. He also called on President John Mahama to ensure that those responsible for the violence were brought to justice.

Some members of the public have criticised Sam George for his comments and have called on him to retract and apologise.

However, speaking during a panel discussion on Joy News, Mustapha Gbande dismissed the calls for an apology, saying Dr. Bawumia had no moral grounds to criticise others, particularly because of his silence on past instances of political violence involving his own party.

“Nobody sides with the Vice President because it is preposterous for him to make that statement,” Gbande said. “This is a Vice President who never condemned the Ayawaso West Wuogon violence, a Vice President whose attaché is the National Youth Organiser of the NPP. Go and check what Mustapha Salam said—that they will prepare and die for the ballot.”

Gbande further noted that despite the inflammatory comments made by the NPP Youth Organiser, Dr. Bawumia did not speak out. “Bawumia is sitting down and condemning what?” he questioned.

Responding to the backlash against Sam George, Gbande challenged the basis of the criticism. “Why should Sam George apologise to Ghanaians? He didn’t say it to Ghanaians; he said it to Bawumia,” he said. “How is that offensive to Ghanaians? Have Ghanaians complained?”