Why NPP Delegates must elect Dr. Bawumia as the NPP Flagbearer for the 2028 Elections

Come Saturday, January 31, 2026, delegates of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) throughout the country will vote to elect the party’s presidential candidate (flagbearer) for the 2028 election.

Five candidates are vying for the flagbearer position. It is a fact that the campaign among the candidates has witnessed a lot of unpleasant rhetorics from some of the candidates and their supporters. Not many of the candidates have been able to articulate their visions for the country should they win the primaries on Saturday and go on to win the presidential election on December 7, 2028.

Among the five candidates, my observation of their candidature and campaign messages, and more importantly their suitability to compete in the 2028 national elections and win, have made me to conclude that the best candidate NPP delegates must vote for on Saturday is Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. This is based on his public image, his vision for Ghana and his leadership qualities as seen from his eight years of being Ghana’s Vice President from 2017 to 2024 and his campaign message.

Strategically, Bawumia is the most marketed candidate among the five contestants. He campaigned throughout the country during the last five national elections since 2008. He is well known in every part of the country, and thus he would be the easiest to be marketed during the 2028 election. Besides, his popularity is his tested competence and high level of integrity.

Though, Bawumia was not a career politician before he fully entered the political landscape in 2008 when chosen as the running mate for the then candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, his strong economic and technical background in macro-economic management, monetary policy, and fiscal discipline helped Akufo Addo’s government especially in the first term, when massive economic achievements were made. And for the NPP that prides itself of economic competence, Bawumia’s skills, competence, and experience will help the next NPP government especially when he is the President.

One would argue that if he were that competent the economic situation would not have been as bad as the NPP government left it in January 2025. However, every keen political observer of the second term of the Akufo Addo government must have noticed that Bawumia was only the chairman of the Economic Management Team in name. The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta, was the one giving the shots with the backing of his cousin, the President, who despite repeated demands from high-ranked party members to reshuffle him, continued to remain in office and spearheaded the policies many of which sent the NPP into opposition.

Observers could remember that before the introduction of the E-Levy, Bawumia in several media interviews stated categorically that the levy was anti-poor, and he did not support it. But he was not the President, hence he could only express his views, but the action was to be taken by the President. Unfortunately, however, Ghanaians punished him for the ‘sins’ of Akufo Addo.

For instance, when he was given a clear mandate and power he excellently introduced and implemented the digitalisation agenda leading to a drastic digital transformation of Ghana and most of its key public services including the Ghana Card integration, mobile money interoperability, and digitised public services including the ports, which today puts Ghana ahead of many countries including even some advanced countries.

Only last Friday, January 23, the sitting Vice President, Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang said “digitalisation is no longer optional. It is critical to Ghana’s national development, as it improves efficiency, reduces waste, and makes government more transparent.” This was a clear endorsement and appreciation of the vision of Dr Bawumia in introducing and implementing such a policy.

The NPP having experienced such a catastrophic electoral defeat in the 2024 election because of some very unpopular policies the Akufo Addo government introduced, for which voters voted with such a volume of anger, needs repacking. However, such repackaging needs somebody who witnessed some of the mistakes first-hand and who has the competence, experience, skills, and an understanding of governance and grassroots politics like Bawumia.

People who may see Bawumia as the continuity of the Akufo Addo government and policies would be making a great mistake, as Bawumia is not Akufo Addo and being President is completely different from being the vice. Bawumia has demonstrated his independence, even as part of the government that was punished in the last elections.

Politics and elections always needed strategies. Bawumia is a bridge between southern and northern Ghana, a bridge between Christians and Muslims where he has previously demonstrated this effectively, and a generational bridge between the old and young voters. NPP’s votes in the northern sector have been appreciating since 2008 when he was chosen as the running mate.

For instance, in 2008 the northern regions contributed had 42.6% of the party’s parliamentary seats followed by 45.6% in 2012. Even in 2020 where the had 137 seats same as NDC, the five northern regions contributed 45.26%, and in 2024 where the party suffered its heaviest defeat, the northern regions had 58.48% of the parliamentary seats. The party’s presidential votes also appreciated in all the elections since 2008.

Another outstanding aspect of Bawumia’s candidature and appeal is his maturity and respect for humanity, where power could not change him during his eight years as Vice President. Since 2008, nobody has been able to accuse him of being or showing arrogance, insults on campaign platforms, or even in government. He communicates policy instead of insults, and he is very well composed. Even when his political opponents insult him, he reduces the tension with humble speeches instead of retaliation. With the high political tempo in Ghana, both the NPP and Ghana needs a leader who could reduce political tensions and promote cohesiveness and inclusiveness in our polarised political environment.

Bawumia’s opponents talk about him being either a ‘stranger’ in the party or a ‘newcomer’. However, one thing is clear – Bawumia’s loyalty to the NPP and Ghanaians has never been in doubt. He has been intensely participating in the NPP’s strategy since when the party was in opposition, helped build an effective party communication channels, and became the face of the party after the 2012 election when the party went to the Supreme Court where he stood in the witness box to speak for the NPP.

With his vast experience in governance Dr Bawumia, remains the most electable nationally among the contestants, the least divisive, and the most saleable candidate nationally for the 2028 presidential election. Non-NPP members and floating votes would be looking for a candidate who has experience, humble, competent, and who understands the mistakes the Akufo Addo government made and is ready to effectively correct them through new policies and governance changes that would move Ghana forward.

Bawumia does not represent continuity (of Akufo Addo) as his opponents argue, but rather he offers hopes for the many members of the NPP who lost touch with the last government due to some of the actions of some leaders; he offers the best chance of the NPP winning the 2028 presidential election; and he knows best what went wrong and how to right it.

Experience and marketability count in elections. When Prof John Evans Atta Mills died on July 24, 2012, John Mahama took over as President in accordance with the Constitution. However, when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was faced with choosing a presidential candidate for the December 2012 election, some senior members and blocs within the party wanted a different candidate than Mahama (including the late President Rawlings who even opposed Mahama’s selection as running mate by Mills leading to a rift between the two when Mills ignored Rawlings’ opposition to his choice). Eventually, the party realised that no one could be best marketed within that short period than Mahama who had served as Vice President for over three years and President for about six months.

Almost all the candidates contesting with Bawumia have some qualities, but none has the governance experience, competence, national acceptability, and the unifying demeanour like Bawumia to unify both the NPP and Ghana in terms of the north-south divide, Christian-Muslim rapport, and the appeal to both young and old voters.

One key strength of Bawumia is that during the 2024 election there was not a single corruption charged that was raised by his opponents against him, simply because there was none. He is a man of high integrity which has been tested during his eight-year tenure as Vice President. Such a man is the one needed by Ghanaians to fight corruption which has been a national cancer, because he can survive national scrutiny by his opponents during election campaign and in government, and can easily neutralise identity politics and bring harmony to the country’s diverse ethnic groups.

Dr Bawumia’s early acceptance of defeat after the 2024 elections when the tension in the country was so high, and his congratulatory message to John Mahama, the winner of the election, shows his peaceful nature, political maturity, humility, and commitment to democratic values and principles and a deep thinker who thinks of and places the welfare of Ghanaians above his personal interests and comfort. Such a person is a leader Ghana needs.

His vision and desire to see the country’s public services digitalised puts him far ahead of his opponents because that vision is associated with building the country’s human capital for development and to fight corruption. For his digitalisation agenda, Ghanaians now get their passport applications processed quicker than ever before while traveling from different parts of the country to Accra to apply for a passport is completely eliminated because applicants can lie on their beds and apply for a passport, thanks to Bawumia’s forward thinking.

Bawumia’s vision of national digitalisation as a channel for enhancing governance, promoting economic development, and also fighting corruption, puts him far ahead of his contemporaries and mark him as a leader who desires to modernise the country through the use of technology; something advance nations are all craving for.

On Saturday, NPP delegates must consider that they are not merely electing a flagbearer for party, but more importantly a candidate who would go on and win the 2028 election and become Ghana’s President. This is why Dr Bawumia is the right candidate to be elected to enable him have the mandate as President to implement his ideas on building human capital through education, digitalisation, and economic and national development.

Implementing sound economic policies is what both NPP members and Ghanaians need to enable them improve their lifestyles, and if that is what the delegates also want, then they should not allowed their votes and conscience to be bought by those who claim to have money but lack the experience and competence for governance.

Bawumia has been tested in governance, competence, grassroot support, humility, and human-feeling, and above all has a great vision for Ghana and Ghanaians. Voting for him on Saturday is the first step in getting him into the Presidency in December 2028. It is possible!

Writer’s contact: [email protected]