I represent the future - Bawumia at NPP Election 2024 final rally

The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, says he represents the future while his opponent, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) represents the past.

In that regard, he said, “the choice that Ghanaians have on Saturday is whether we want to go forward  to the future or backwards into the past.

Dr Bawumia who was addressing NPP supporters at the precinct of the University of Ghana Stadium at Legon in Accra on Thursday evening as the NPP rounded up its campaign for Election 2024 told the crowd that the election was a clear choice for the future and not the past.

He said the work done by the NPP government was under pinned by the mindset of possibilities because the NPP believe it is possible to transform this country into an advanced nation.

Dr Bawumia said not many people thought it was possible to do national health insurance, free maternal care and school feeding but President John Agyekum Kufuor did it.

He said that was what a mindset of possibilities was about and asked former President Mahama to come out with one initiative under his tenure that affected the whole nation.

“So the choice is, we going into the future with a mindset of possibilities or we are going into the past with the mindset of rearing chicks,” Dr Bawumia said.

He described the NPP as a problem-solving government and said the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government had demonstrated that by solving problems in the last eight years.

“We said free SHS for everybody, we have solved that problem with 5.7 million children going to school. We also brought free TVET and invested over GH¢6 billion,” he added and said we have restored nursing and teacher training allowances that were canceled.

Possibilities victory rally

The NPP officially began its campaign for this year’s elections on February 7, 2024, with the launch of “the bold solutions for the future at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).

Thursday’s rally dubbed the "Possibilities victory rally," which climaxed the campaign for the 2024 elections attracted people from all walks of life from the very young to the old, all clad in the famous red, white and blue colours of the NPP.

Many of the supporters sang and danced to performances from musicians such as the evergreen Tagoe Sisters, Daughters of Glorious Jesus and Samini under a very favourable cool weather condition.

Many traders also joined in the fray with some displaying party paraphernalia. Others also sold coconut, water, food and drinks.

There was tight security with the police mounting barricades to secure the venue while they managed and ensured the free flow of traffic on the Legon - Madina stretch as well as those entering the University campus from the Okponglo junction.

Media organisations were also at the rally grounds in their numbers and mounted their tents and gadgets to broadcast the historic event to their audience.

Among the dignitaries were Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his wife Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Dr Bawumia himself as the flag bearer of the NPP and his wife Samira Bawumia, national and regional party executives, past and present ministers of state of the NPP and aspiring Members of Parliament. Those aspiring MPs, particularly those contesting in the Greater Accra region were introduced to the crowd.

On healthcare, the NPP flag bearer said “We have seen dramatic improvement in infrastructure which he indicated excluded agenda 111 hospitals.

He said there were 37 ambulances in the whole of Ghana when the NPP came into government but today “We have 307 ambulances in the national ambulance service through our One Constituency One Ambulance progamme.”

“NHIS was collapsing to cash and carry and we have paid most of their debt and brought diseases such as sickle cell disease and free kidney dialysis under the scheme. We also brought in drones which are delivering medicines,” he  pointed out

Touching on the economy, Dr Bawumia said notwithstanding the challenges which confronted the government it has performed better than the government of John Dramani Mahama.

“We have grown the economy more than his [Mahama], overall GDP growth is higher, agricultural growth is higher, industrial growth is higher,” he stated and said budget deficit is lower under this administration while gross international reserves is higher and  exchange rate depreciation is also lower.