Retain me NPP flag bearer — Bawumia
Former Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, filed his nomination forms yesterday for the flagbearership position slated for January 31, 2026, and desclared that he was the best candidate, prepared for the job.
Within a frenzied atmosphere of party songs blasting from loud speakers mixed with defeaning cheers from his support base, Dr Bawumia declared that the common task for the party was to unite to wrest power from the National Democratic Congress rather than turning the guns on themselves.
The four times running mate and two-term Vice-President of the country emphasised his dedication and commitment to the party, tracing his entry into active politics to the day he quit a “lucrative” job as a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana to partner the party’s flag bearer for the unsuccessful bid in the 2008 presidential election.
Long before his arrival, supporters of Dr Bawumia had besieged the party headquarters adorned in various paraphernalia emblazoned with his name and image, and engaging in fun fair.
Supporters
Accompanied by his wife, Samira, and some present and past Members of Parliament, former chief executive officers of state enterprises and local assemblies, the former Vice President was given a rousing welcome for the administrative phase of the filing process.
When the paper work was done, he mounted a rostrum erected on the upper terrace of the party headquarters, dressed in all-white blended in stitches of red and blue that combined into the party’s colours.
Appearing energised, the party’s 2024 presidential candidate said the combined effect of how well he was known today and his experience as Vice-President made him the most prepared person for the NPP’s quest for the 2028 election and governance in 2029.
He set the tone by calling for a minute’s silence in memory of the party’s late Akwatia MP, Ernest Yaw Kumi, whose demise triggered the by-election for Tuesday.
Dr Bawumia said the NPP and the country were yearning for a leader who embodied the values of its tradition of deep intellect, humility, respect for all persons, unity, courage, foresight and resilience.
"As the NPP is looking for a leader who embodies the character of this party’s tradition and the values of our forebears, I, Mahamudu Bawumia, offer myself to lead the party for the 2028 elections because I have the integrity, competence, compassion, humility and the values not only required to lead this party but to lead this country," he said.
Election
Dr Bawumia said the contest was not only to elect a flag bearer for the party but an election for the soul of the party.
"The choice we make on January 31, 2026 will determine whether or not this party will hold on to the values that make us great or become a new party focused on deepening the chasm between the rich and the poor.
"I am offering myself to be elected as flag bearer because I believe I owe a duty to this party to give her a choice to put forward the most prepared candidate for the 2028 election and the most prepared person to be President in January 2029," he said.
In the last 16 years, he said, he had had the privilege of joining each and every constituency at least five times to work on the ground and campaign and work for the NPP.
He said just like the thousands of supporters who might not have had all the money in the world to throw at the party, "all my sweat, my reputation, my knowledge and my person have been dedicated to working with you for the success of this party".
He said as a result of that, there was no village or hamlet, no city or town where his face and name were not known.
"I owe this party a duty, that if we are to win 2028, we ought not to start afresh from zero.
Instead, we ought to build on the nearly 42 per cent of valid votes and work to cross the 50 per cent mark in the next election," he said.
Impact
Dr Bawumia said he had also had the privilege of serving as Vice-President and supporting the President and government in the last administration with ideas that had impacted the lives of millions of our people.
"This is what the streets refer to as being rich in ideas.
The initiatives I advocated in our time, today are making impact in people’s lives,” he said and listed a litany of them.
Among what he decribed as the rich, innovative and practical ideas were Bank of Ghana’s Gold Purchase Programme, Gold for Oil, accelerated issuance of the Ghana Card, Mobile Money Interoperability, GhanaPost Digital Property Address System, all of which he said were first in Africa.
“The implementation of those practical policy initiatives had resulted in many people saying that I have been the most effective Vice-President in Ghana’s history,” he stated.
Opportunity
Dr Bawumia said these implied that given the opportunity, he could equally become one of the most effective presidents the country would have.
"I demonstrate my strength by getting results, not by making noise or by insults or bragging about money," he said.
He said it was with a deep sense of purpose that he announced formally his bid to be retained as flag bearer of the NPP for the 2028 general election.
