The Oti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Evans Yaw Dapaah, has urged party members in the region to rally behind former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and retain him as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2028 election.

Welcoming Dr. Bawumia to Dambai on Friday at the start of the former Vice President’s campaign tour of the Oti Region, the Regional Chairman encouraged party members to be guided by the political history of the Fourth Republic, where candidates consistently retained by their parties after initial defeats eventually went on to become presidents.

Citing examples of past presidents who benefited from their party’s consistency, Mr. Dapaah said there is “wisdom in consistency” and urged delegates to back Dr. Bawumia once again.

“Kufuor did not win in 1996, and some people said he was not marketable and should be replaced. Others even said an Asante could never be president of Ghana because he would be bigger than Otumfuo, so Kufuor should not be retained as our flagbearer. But the party believed in him, supported him, and Kufuor went on to win the 2000 elections,” he said.

“When Nana Addo also came, people said all sorts of things against him — that he could never be president and that he was too short. But after we backed him three times, Nana Addo eventually won.”

“If we look at our opponents, the NDC, they also supported the late Atta Mills on three occasions before he eventually won and became president,” he continued.

“Mahama, a sitting president, lost the 2016 election — that was unprecedented. But the NDC backed him twice after his defeat, and he has now emerged as president again.”

“That was a former president who lost as an incumbent. How much more Bawumia, who was a vice president with limited powers and has never been president before?”

“This shows that there is wisdom in consistency. So let us retain Bawumia. If we fail to do so, it will have a huge negative effect on our party and affect our progress.”