The Oti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Evans Yaw Dapaah, has made a strong appeal to party members across the region to retain former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2028 general election, describing consistency as the surest path to victory.
Speaking in Dambai on Friday at the start of Dr. Bawumia’s campaign tour of the Oti Region, Mr. Dapaah said history from Ghana’s Fourth Republic proves that political parties which show faith and consistency in their presidential candidates are often rewarded with eventual victory at the polls.
“There is wisdom in consistency,” Mr. Dapaah declared to loud applause from delegates and party supporters. “If you look carefully at Ghana’s political history, every party that sticks with its candidate ultimately wins. We must learn from that and stay united behind Dr. Bawumia.”
He cited examples from both the NPP and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to support his point, noting that perseverance and party solidarity had produced presidential success stories in the past.
“Kufuor did not win in 1996, and some people said Kufuor was not marketable, that he should be replaced,” he recalled. “Others even claimed an Asante could never become President because he would be bigger than Otumfuo, but the party believed in him. We stood by him and he won in 2000.”
He continued, “When Nana Addo also came, people said all manner of things against him. They said Nana Addo could never be President in Ghana. They even said he was too short. But after we backed him on three occasions, Nana Addo eventually won.”
The regional chairman extended his argument to the NDC’s experience, referencing how the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills and former President John Dramani Mahama both benefitted from their party’s loyalty.
“If we look at our opponents, the NDC, they backed the late Atta Mills on three occasions before he eventually won to become President. Mahama, a sitting President, lost an election in 2016 — something that had never happened before — but the NDC still backed him twice after that, and he came back as President.”
Mr. Dapaah argued that Dr. Bawumia, who served as Vice President and NPP flagbearer in 2024, deserves the same show of confidence and support. “That was even a former President who lost an election as President. How much more Bawumia, who was Vice President with limited powers and has never been President before?” he questioned.
He warned that replacing Dr. Bawumia as flagbearer would risk undermining the NPP’s unity and future growth. “If we don’t retain him, it will have a huge negative effect on our party. It will affect the progress of our movement,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia, who has been on a nationwide grassroots campaign tour ahead of the NPP’s January 2026 primaries, was warmly received in Dambai, where he interacted with delegates, party executives, and traditional leaders as part of his visit to the Oti Region.
The NPP will hold its presidential primary on January 31, 2026, with Dr. Bawumia expected to face four other aspirants in the race to lead the party into the 2028 general elections.
