The 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has appealed to party delegates to maintain him as flagbearer to secure what he described as a swift return to the Jubilee House.

Addressing delegates at Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, September 10, Dr Bawumia argued that Ghana’s electoral history demonstrates the benefits of consistency in presidential candidate selection.

He noted that since the advent of the Fourth Republic, every outgoing president had handed over power to a candidate they had previously contested against in the election.

Citing precedents from both the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he explained: “In 1996, the NPP presented former President John Agyekum Kufuor, who obtained 39 per cent of the vote. The party presented him again in 2000, and he won.”

“The late President Prof John Evans Atta Mills secured 43 per cent in 2000, 44 per cent in 2004, and was presented again in 2008, when he finally won. Former President Akufo-Addo was presented in 2008 and 2012 without success, but when presented again in 2016, he won. President Mahama lost in 2016 and 2020 but was retained in 2024, and he won. This shows clearly that maintaining faith with a candidate pays off.”

He added that the NPP could secure victory in 2028 if it contests with a united front, stressing that no first-time candidate has ever won a presidential election in Ghana.

“The trend shows that maintaining faith with a candidate is very beneficial, especially after years of investment in marketing him. I am the most marketed, most prepared and most winnable candidate among all the aspirants. My character, temperament and unifying nature are well known. I urge you to vote for me on 31 January 2026, to secure the gains of consistency,” he told delegates.

Dr Bawumia made the remarks at the start of a three-day engagement with constituency executives in the Ashanti Region, ahead of a nationwide campaign in the build-up to the party’s flagbearer contest.

His campaign team explained that the regional tour was designed to formally notify constituency executives of his intention to visit their areas and to engage directly with polling station delegates.