Former Defence Minister and Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul, has revealed that 60 New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs have declared their support for former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to lead the party into the 2028 general elections.

According to Mr Nitiwul, the MPs personally invited Dr Bawumia to a meeting on Thursday, 19 June 2025, to affirm their belief that he is the right man to become the party’s next flagbearer.

“Yes, I was actually part of the MPs who have been holding regular meetings,” Mr Nitiwul said in an interview on JoyFM’s Top Story.

“I think two weeks ago, we held a meeting in Dr Bawumia’s office to give him our support, and today, we again invited him into our meeting to formally let him know that all these MPs that he sees—willingly, individually—have come to let him know that we believe he’s the person who can lead us to victory in 2028.”

He disclosed that the number of MPs attending the meeting had grown from 42 at the previous gathering to 60 this time, with expectations that more will join in the coming weeks.

“The number keeps growing every time. I believe that in two weeks, when we meet again, the number will further increase,” he noted.

A Growing Movement, Not a Closed Race

Responding to concerns that the growing support may present Dr Bawumia with an unfair advantage over other potential candidates, Mr Nitiwul clarified that not all MPs support the former Vice President.

“There are 28 MPs who were not part of the meeting—not because they don’t like the former Vice President—but because they support another person. We also accept that there are even MPs who, themselves, are running or have indicated that they will run,” he explained.

He acknowledged that Dr Bawumia would not secure 100% support, as there are other viable aspirants and internal party dynamics at play.

“So obviously, Dr Bawumia cannot get 100% or even 95% because there are many more MPs who are running, and they have supporters. But we, as MPs, have come to say that we believe this is the best.

We are not saying just because we are supporting him, he is going to win the elections. No. We are taking one step at a time,” Mr Nitiwul stated.

• Read also: Over 60 MPs storm Bawumia’s office to support his bid for 2028 election

Bawumia’s Popularity Within the Caucus

Mr Nitiwul argued that the strong support base within the Parliamentary caucus speaks volumes.

“If you are a presidential candidate, and the representatives of the people—three-quarters of them—decide to say that they support you, you have one leg already moving towards victory,” he added.

Dr Bawumia, who served as Vice President from 2017 to 2025, remains one of the leading contenders in the NPP’s presidential primaries, scheduled for January 2026. His allies argue that he is best positioned to unify the party and mount a strong comeback to power in 2028.