Dr Mahamudu Bawumia
Activities at the Calvary Methodist Church at Adabraka in Accra last Saturday came to a standstill, as sympathizers who turned up for a memorial service for a woman and her son, both of whom passed away recently, all rushed to catch a glimpse of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
The attendance for the memorial service was unusual, with a long line of vehicles snaking along the road on the side of the church towards the Electoral Commission head office.
The same vehicular traffic situation was replicated on the frontage of the church facing the main road from the Psychiatric Hospital towards the TUC traffic intersection.
The church was bursting at its seams even as the compound itself overflowed with sympathizers who were there to pay their last respects to the deceased persons- Mary Quaicoo and her son, Frederick Minta Quaicoo.
The star witness in the ongoing election petition hearing, Dr. Bawumia, said he was at the church to pay his last respects to the late Mrs. Quaicoo, and her son, whose death occurred in London three weeks after his mum’s.
Dr Bawumia however became the cynosure of the solemn occasion as many mourners who were excited by his presence chanted “Bawumia, Bawumia, Bawumia”, temporarily disrupting the proceedings for close to 30 minutes.
Dr. Bawumia’s bodyguards worked extra hard to keep the crowd from falling on him, as he made his way into the church.
After taking his seat, another bout of applause erupted when the pastor formally acknowledged his presence.
At the end of the programme, came the unofficial yet disorderly photo session, as everybody rushed to have a picture with the guest.
Before one could say Jack, commercial photographers who had swarmed the place had mounted makeshift stands to sell Dr. Bawumia’s pictures, which were lapped so quickly that observers marvelled how the young man had become so popular among many Ghanaians.
The election petition hearing, many concluded, had projected Dr. Bawumia’s image beyond the election campaign session last year.
“Not even the IEA-sponsored presidential and vice presidential debate has projected his name as the election petition hearing has,” quipped a curious onlooker.
Many of Dr. Bawumia’s admirers were setting eyes on him for the first time.
Even as the pastor conducted the service, some attendees occasionally turned to look at the ever-smiling Dr. Bawumia.
Those who could not turn up for the service were said to have expressed regret for missing the opportunity to meet the man whose name is more synonymous with the election petition hearing than being a running mate to the NPP flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the last election.
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