A group of New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidates on Thursday formally declared their support for former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to lead the party into the 2028 general elections, ahead of the party’s presidential primaries scheduled for Jan. 31, 2026.
At a press conference in Accra, the candidates said their decision followed extensive consultations with party structures at the grassroots level, including polling station executives, constituency officers, councils of elders and patrons, as well as engagements with youth groups, market women, farmers, business owners, religious leaders and traditional authorities.
According to the group, the consultations revealed “a broad and overwhelming consensus” that Dr. Bawumia is best placed among the current aspirants to lead the NPP into the 2028 polls.
The candidates rejected claims that Dr. Bawumia was responsible for the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections, citing findings from the party’s internal review led by the Oquaye Committee, as well as independent studies by institutions including the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the NPP Parliamentary Caucus and the University of Ghana’s Political Science Department.
“This decision is not borne out of any parochial or self-interest,” a spokesperson said, adding that the endorsement was grounded in what the group described as a sense of duty to the party and the country.
The declaration follows an earlier endorsement by 63 NPP Members of Parliament elected in 2024, a move the candidates said underscores growing support for Dr. Bawumia within the party’s leadership and among elected representatives.
The candidates praised Dr. Bawumia’s tenure as vice president, describing him as the “most consequential” to have served under the Fourth Republic. They cited his role in championing Ghana’s digitalization drive, including the Ghana Card, mobile money interoperability and the digitization of public services, as well as his leadership of the Economic Management Team.
They also highlighted the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme comprising Gold for Reserves, Gold for Forex and Gold for Oil as a key policy intervention initiated by Dr. Bawumia to stabilize the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
In addition, the candidates pointed to infrastructure projects under the Akufo-Addo administration, including road construction, educational facilities and the Agenda 111 hospital initiative, as achievements they believe strengthen Dr. Bawumia’s credentials.
The group dismissed suggestions that their endorsement was influenced by inducements, insisting that none of the candidates had been compelled or coerced into supporting the vice president’s bid.
They further cited Dr. Bawumia’s stated vision for Ghana, which includes digital transformation, economic and industrial growth, agricultural modernization, human capital development, good governance and regional integration. Proposals aimed at improving the welfare of grassroots party members, such as constituency-based budgeting and enhanced party welfare systems, were also referenced.
The candidates called on NPP delegates, party supporters and the wider electorate to rally behind Dr. Bawumia ahead of the primaries and the 2028 general elections, expressing confidence that he offers the party its strongest chance of returning to power.
A full list of the signatories to the statement was attached to the release.
