Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has already made up its mind on who must lead it into the 2028 elections.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, the Bimbilla MP said the party has no time to sell a new face to the Ghanaian voter and cannot afford the risk that comes with a fresh candidate.

“We have no time to market a new candidate,” he said.

Mr Nitiwul was emphatic that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia remains the NPP’s safest option and the only candidate with a clear electoral advantage going into 2028.

“I can tell you, in this election, Bawumia is going to win,” he said, adding that this conviction is rooted in experience and precedent.

“I can tell you for a fact that in this election [NPP primaries], Bawumia is going to win...just like Akufo-Addo won for a second time in 2010 and then for a third time in 2014, Bawumia is going to win.”

Mr Nitiwul was quick to stress that his position was not meant to diminish other possible contenders within the party.

“That is not to take away anything from another candidate, whether it’s Ken, Bryan, Adutwum or Kwabena Agyapong, it’s not to take anything away from that candidate,” he said.

But he argued that the NPP is constrained by time and political reality. “All I can say is that it has been marketed enough. We don’t have time to market a new candidate.”

According to him, Dr Bawumia’s public image and record have already been tested and scrutinised by both supporters and opponents.

“He has shown that he’s very competent, not corrupt, and there’s nothing to find about Bawumia anymore,” he said.

He said the opposition has exhausted its attacks and the electorate has made its judgment.

“Whatever the NDC wants to say, they have said it already and the assessment Ghanaians have done it already.”

Mr Nitiwul said changing course now would come at a high logistical and political cost. “We don’t have the time to change all the billboards and change every other thing.”

He added that Dr Bawumia has articulated a vision that has already gained acceptance among voters.

“Is the one who has given us a clear vision as to what he wants. And the people of Ghana have bought into it.”

He also pointed to Ghana’s electoral history as a decisive factor. “And the rule of thumb is always that Ghanaians have never voted for a first timer,” he said.

Mr Nitiwul said this gives Dr Bawumia a unique edge over all other potential contenders.

“Bawumia is going to be the candidate who is the second timer; all other candidates on the ballot in 2028, especially the major candidates, including the NDC, will be the second timer.”

For him, the conclusion is unavoidable.

“We cannot risk having our own candidate be a first timer. We can’t as an NPP, when you can get somebody who is the second time, and the person will win you the elections, we cannot risk it.”

He warned that the stakes for the party could not be higher.

“And the difficulty for NPP is that we will, we should never lose in 2028 because it will be disastrous for us.”

The comments come amid early primaries within the NPP ahead of the 2028 elections, following the party’s defeat in the 2024 polls and growing debate over whether it should field a familiar face or open the contest to new contenders.