Fmr Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was NPP's presidential candidate in the 2024 election

A group known as Friends of Bawumia (FOB) has made a passionate appeal to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Ghanaian populace to give the party’s 2024 Flagbearer and former Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, another chance at the presidency.

In a statement cited by GhanaWeb, the group argued that the NPP must give Dr Bawumia a second chance because of historical antecedents, strategies and the principle of loyalty.

According to the group, no Ghanaian has ever won the presidency on their first attempt, citing the electoral journeys of former Presidents Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Agyekum Kufuor as evidence.

"Our call is simple yet significant: Give Dr Mahamudu Bawumia a second opportunity to lead the NPP into the 2028 general elections. Our appeal is rooted not only in loyalty or sentiment, but in strategic realism, historical precedence, and the
urgent need to consolidate our party rather than divide it further in these critical times. History has repeatedly shown us that the path to presidential victory in Ghana, especially within our party, has never been a one-time sprint—it’s always been a journey that requires perseverance and consistency.

"In 2007, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won the NPP’s presidential primaries after a fiercely contested battle with Hon. Alan Kyerematen. Despite the internal friction and expenditure, Nana Addo still emerged victorious in subsequent primaries, ultimately becoming our party’s candidate again in 2010, and
once more in 2014—when Alan Kyerematen no longer contested. It was then, on his third attempt, that
Nana Addo finally led us back to power. Similarly, former President John Agyekum Kufuor contested twice against Nana Addo during the NPP’s internal elections in the 1990s. However, when Nana Addo chose not to contest him again in 2000, Kufuor
led the NPP to victory in the general elections, defeating the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills," they wrote.

The group added, "These precedents affirm a simple truth: no one has ever won the presidency on their first attempt. It takes resilience, national acceptance, party unity, and time-tested trust to win the Ghanaian electorate.

"The group went on to caution the NPP against internal rivalries as it restructures for the 2028 general election."

They also pointed out that the party cannot afford a presidential primaries because of its expensive nature which will drain its finances and “further weaken an already shaken base following our 2024 loss."

BAI/AE

Meanwhile, catch the first in the series of our special episodes on Forgotten Forts on People and Places on GhanaWeb TV below. This episode focuses on Fort Amsterdam at Abandze: