The 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged party delegates to retain him as flagbearer, arguing that consistency in candidate selection is the surest path to returning the party to Jubilee House.
Speaking at Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Bawumia said Ghana’s electoral history shows that voters often reward political parties that maintain faith with their presidential candidates.
He also noted that every outgoing president under the Fourth Republic has handed over power to someone they had previously contested against.
Citing examples, he recalled that former President John Agyekum Kufuor, after polling 39% in 1996, was retained in 2000 and went on to win. Similarly, the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills contested in 2000 and 2004 before winning in 2008.
Former President Akufo-Addo was presented by the NPP in 2008 and 2012 before securing victory in 2016, while President John Mahama won in 2024 after two failed attempts in 2016 and 2020.
“This shows clearly that maintaining faith with a candidate over more than an election cycle pays, irrespective of party,” Dr. Bawumia said.
He further observed: “What is also remarkable in Ghana’s election history is that since 1992, every president has handed over to someone he had contested against in an earlier election.
Rawlings handed over to Kufuor, who he contested against in 1996. Kufuor handed over to Mills, who he faced in 2000 and 2004. Mahama handed over to Akufo-Addo, who he contested in 2012. Akufo-Addo later handed over to Mahama. If the trend continues, then in 2029 President Mahama will hand over to President-elect Mahamudu Bawumia—unless the NPP presents a new candidate, though no first-timer has ever won Ghana’s presidential elections.”
Dr. Bawumia stressed that he remains the party’s strongest option heading into 2028. “I am the most marketed, most prepared, and most winnable candidate among all the aspirants. No one in Ghana can say they have not heard of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. My character, temperament, and unifying nature are well known. I urge you to vote for me on January 31 to secure the benefits of consistency. We can win 2028 if we approach it with unity,” he told delegates.
The comments were made at the start of his three-day engagement with constituency executives in the Ashanti Region, where campaign officials said the former Vice President is formally informing executives of his intention to visit constituencies and engage delegates at the polling station level.
Source: MyJoyOnline.com
