The 2024 Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has extended an open invitation to leaders and stalwarts in the NPP, including his former rivals from the party’s presidential primaries, to join him on a nationwide ‘Thank You Tour’.

This move, he said, is a symbolic gesture aimed at promoting unity within the party as it gears up for the crucial 2024 general elections.

Dr Bawumia, who clinched the party’s flagbearer slot with approximately 61.43% of the vote, defeated prominent figures including Kennedy Agyapong, former Agriculture Minister Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and ex-Mampong MP Francis Addai-Nimoh.

At the launch of the tour on Wednesday, 23 April 2025, at the NPP headquarters in Accra, he explained that the decision to involve his former contenders was a deliberate break from tradition.

“Because I want us to be united, that is why I am departing from the normal Thank You Tour,” Dr Bawumia said.

“Normally, the presidential candidate just goes ahead to do the thank you tour. But I am doing it different this time, and it is because I want unity.” He emphasised that unity would be key to strengthening the NPP’s chances in the general election.

Dr Bawumia noted that showcasing solidarity through a joint tour would not only send a strong message of reconciliation but also bolster the morale of party supporters across the country. “That is why I have said that I want to go with the party and also to invite my former contestants in the primaries to come, and we will all go and do the Thank You Tour together… so that we all show a united front for the party then we can build on it going forward,” he added.

He concluded by urging party members to shift focus from internal competition to the greater task of securing victory in the national polls.

“It is not time for primaries and it is not about winning a primary. What we are doing is building a party machinery that can win the general election. If you win the primary and cannot win the general election, then it is a useless victory,” Dr Bawumia asserted.

The nationwide tour is expected to cover all 16 regions, serving as a platform to thank delegates and rally momentum for the NPP’s campaign.