Member of Parliament for Bantama and former Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso Boakye, has called on delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to vote massively for former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia in Saturday’s presidential primaries, saying it reflects the will of the party’s grassroots.

Addressing delegates and party members in Bantama on Monday, Mr Asenso Boakye said his engagements across the country show that a majority of NPP supporters want Dr Bawumia to lead the party into the 2028 general elections.

According to him, delegates must respect the wishes of the party base, especially at a time when the NPP is repositioning itself after losing the 2024 elections.

“Everywhere I go, people are calling for Dr Bawumia. I attended about four funerals over the weekend, and at each one, people warned that our delegates should not make the mistake of not electing him,” he said.

He added that similar sentiments have been expressed in churches and other social gatherings. “I was in church, and a Methodist Bishop even called me aside and said we should be very careful and not make a mistake of replacing Dr Bawumia. That is what everybody is saying,” he noted.

Mr Asenso Boakye praised the former Vice President’s intellect, humility and vision, stressing that his endorsement of Dr Bawumia is based on analysis rather than emotion.

“I am not a sentimental politician. I analyse well, and I go to where the majority of the people want,” he stated.

He also cited Ghana’s political tradition, arguing that the two main political parties—the NPP and the NDC—have consistently retained presidential candidates who had already been presented to the electorate.

“We repeated President Kufuor and President Akufo-Addo, and the NDC did the same with Professor Atta Mills and President Mahama. None of the major parties makes the mistake of replacing a candidate who has already been marketed,” he said.

With the NPP preparing to elect its next flagbearer ahead of the 2028 polls, Mr Asenso Boakye warned that abandoning Dr Bawumia would be a strategic error.

“With the will of the people behind him and our own party tradition, it will be the most unwise decision for the NPP not to retain Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for 2028,” he said, urging Bantama delegates to “be part of this great decision” by voting for the former Vice President on Saturday.