Samira Bawumia: Challenging norms, breaking glass ceilings and the ‘closer’ in Ghana’s 2024 elections

First, let’s set the records straight. Samira Bawumia, Ghana’s Second Lady, has become the beau ideal of contemporary presidential campaigns.

She is an effective surrogate, a spirited campaigner and a persuasive emissary, who has lighted the campaign trail with her brilliance, charm and appeal.

In the annals of presidential campaign history across the world, presidential spouses have emerged as major figures on the campaign trails and in office.

For instance, during the 2008, election, Michelle Obama was known as “The Closer” due to the pivotal role she played in firming up her husband’s position and policies.

In this Ghanaian election, we submit that no presidential spouse fits this bill or visibly embodies such attributes effectively to the campaign, more than Samira Bawumia.

Her brilliance and political intelligence are unequivocal; her confidence is admirable; and her eloquence is without doubt. She possesses an unmistakable and natural ability to accentuate, proliferate, and magnify her husband’s qualities and policies.

Mother of national character

From Gushegu to Axim, from Daboya to Ejura and from Damongo to Mampong, Samira Bawumia has been bullish and unapologetic in supporting her husband’s candidature. With her smooth, mellifluous, poignant, and soothing voice, Samira Bawumia’s tone is neither harsh nor insulting.

She neither yells nor berates; she does not wander nor whisper. She speaks gently yet boldly, modulating her voice in an uplifting, reassuring, and inspirational manner just as a mother of national character should be. She would often say on the campaign stump:

“We need a leader with bold solutions to take this country forward. We need an innovative leader. We need a leader who is a deep thinker, who is a solutions person…that leader is  Mahamudu Bawumia.”

Ambassadorial in appeal

She would be an empathetic, elegant, enlightened, and eloquent first lady with the capacity to bring dignity, class, and finesse to the office of the first lady.

Bawumia would be a great representation of Ghana at home and abroad. She would be a safe, secure and sure ambassador for young females, women and society at large due to her gentle demeanour and ability to connect with citizens in their communities.

She has carried herself with so much grace and poise as a second lady and she would be even better as first.

In her, Ghana would have a first lady of class and decorum, able to carry high the flag of our nation and be a good representation of her ideals locally and internationally. These include ideals such as civility, empathy, hard work, decency, social justice and advocacy.

Development oriented

As second lady she has shown great empathy to communities especially to children and the youth by carrying out initiatives to support their growth and development.

This year she continued her longstanding BECE Revision Support Project, one thousand nine-hundred and eighty-five (1985) schools in forty-five (45) Districts across the country with training and learning materials.

In fact, over the past half-decade, her flagship project the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Projects has spearheaded various empowerment, skills training, humanitarian, and development programmes for deprived communities and constituencies of people.

She has proved herself as a strong supporter of the second gentleman, Dr Bawumia, by working tirelessly to champion women’s rights, and environmental and social justice causes.

Torchbearer of civic duty

Samira Bawumia demonstrates an understanding of the importance of politics and education to national life. She understands that politics can significantly influence generations and the future of this country through who is elected into the presidency. She has therefore actively campaigned and taken her job as a candidate spouse extremely seriously.

She has taken the time to meet with celebrity influencers and various stakeholders on the campaign trail. She has met various important Constituencies within the national voter landscape. Further, she has made sure to champion the cause of the party and candidate on the campaign trail.

She has not stopped short in effortlessly educating Ghanaian voters regarding how her husband’s candidature will deliver jobs, improve service delivery, and bring about prosperity for Ghanaians.

There is no one who knows the Vice-President better than the second lady. When it comes to Dr Bawumia, she is a credible voice telling the nation what kind of person he is and this is a task the second lady has taken jealously.

She will definitely go into the history books as an assiduous, exemplary and preeminent presidential candidate spouse who redefined modern campaigning as a strong, credible, poignant and influential second lady.

By Prof. G. Etse Sikanku and Dr. Louise Carol Serwaa Donkor