Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has often shown a very jovial side in especially his political public swipes at former President John Dramani Mahama.
One such swipe took place months ago at an Islamic event organized by the Chief Imam with John Mahama in attendance.
During the event, Bawumia in making comments after Mahama spoke remarked that having shown dexterity at knowing tenets of Islam in his speech, John Mahama may as well revert to Islam, jokingly referring to him as ‘Mallam John.’
It is this incident that has triggered a social media backlash by some NDC officials and activists who are hitting out at the Vice President after he also attended a New Year church service last Friday in the Ashanti region and made religious comments on the need for tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
An aide to John Mahama and former Deputy Minister, James Agyenim Boateng was among those that lambasted Bawumia via a tweet.
He posted the video of Bawumia ‘mocking’ Mahama and wrote: “A man who mocks another for attending an Islamic programme cannot be celebrated for attending Christian programmes. Neither can he be described as having an admirable sense of religious tolerance. Stop the hypocrisy!”
His comment comes on the back of a Facebook post by Imani Africa Vice President Kofi Bentil who celebrated Bawumia’s grasp of religious coexistence with a string of church visits.
“Dr Bawumia proves everyday that religion should not divide us. Leaders who do everything to keep religious harmony must be cherished, this is a blessing Ghana must not take for granted,” Bentil said in his Facebook post.
Reacting to Bentil’s post via Facebook, another aide of John Mahama, Edudzi Kudzo Tamekloe, averred that Bawumia’s church visits were politically motivated.
“Senior Kofi Bentil
Much respect, Happy New Year
“BAWUMIA is not visiting churches because of lack of religious harmony in Ghana.
He desperately needs votes. “It is not about the love of Christ. He was not even a devout Moslem by 2007. He does everything for convenience,” Edudzi alleged.
“After calling John Mahama; Mallam John, Reverend father evangelist Bawumia was roaming in churches on 31st December. How do we call him too ??…” one Alex Vhinus posted on Facebook.
“Bawumia your last warning. President Mahama is not you co equal he has been a president before of which you haven’t and you can’t be. Part time Muslim like u,” one activist tweeted.
Bawumia visits churches
On New Year’s eve, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his wife visited churches in the Ashanti Regional capital.
The Vice President whiles speaking at the Ebenezer congregation of the Breman Methodist Church said, “Our unique religious acceptance, which has his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a Christian, as President and me, Mahamudu Bawumia, a Muslim as his Vice, is the envy of many across the world, and we must jealously guard against any attempts to bring disagreements between us”.
At the St Peter’s Cathedral, the Vice President said that “I am a Muslim, but I am comfortable being in a church, because we all believe in God of Isaac, Jacob and Jesus Christ. For us, as Christians and Muslims we have so many things in common that bind us together. We all believe in God the Father Almighty and the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
“We believe in the miracles of Jesus Christ – the healing of the sick, the resurrection and many more. And above all, we all believe that in the end days Jesus Christ will come back again to save the world”.
“Let us all, whether Christian or Muslim or whatever religious persuasion, work together, live peacefully together, and pray for each other and our dear nation. We may not appreciate our unique religious acceptance until you visit other countries.
“This is probably the only country where the Chief Imam will celebrate his 100th birthday in a Church. This is probably the only country where you have a Muslim Vice President attending a 31st Night Service,” he continued at the Sarfo Memorial Temple of the Ayigya Pentecost Church.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
