Former Vice President and NPP flagbearer for the 2028 presidential election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, says the New Patriotic Party has already begun preparing its governance programme ahead of the 2028 general election.

Speaking at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, October 3, Dr Bawumia said the party would not wait until the election campaign begins to determine how it intends to govern the country.

“We will not wait for the campaign to start thinking about how to govern. The work is already underway.”

According to him, the NPP has constituted various policy committees and is engaging different groups and stakeholders as part of the process.

“We continue to deepen our engagement with various groups, and I am confident that when we lay out our 2029 governance programme before Ghanaians, the hard work we are doing will win the hearts of the majority of Ghanaians.”

Dr Bawumia said the decision by the NPP to hold its presidential primaries early had provided an opportunity for the party to begin working on its policy agenda well ahead of the next election.

“As part of our reformation, our party took the great decision to have early presidential primaries, and at the beginning of this year, I had the honour of being elected as the presidential candidate to lead our party to victory in 2028.”

He said eight months after his election as presidential candidate, the party had moved beyond the internal contest and was concentrating on policy development and organizational reforms.

Dr Bawumia also said the NPP had taken important lessons from its experience since the December 2024 general election.

He said the party had spent the period listening to Ghanaians across different sectors and communities.

“We have listened to Ghanaians in the market, on the streets, on the farms, in the offices, and on campuses.”

He added: “We have listened to our own members at the grassroots, and we have learnt some valuable lessons.”

According to Dr Bawumia, the lessons cover how the party manages its structures, communicates with the public and treats grassroots supporters.

“We have learnt lessons on how we manage our party, how we organize, how we communicate, and how we treat the loyal men and women who tirelessly carry this party on their backs at the grassroots.”

He also said the party had learnt lessons about policymaking and the need to involve citizens in the development of policies that affect them.

“We have learnt lessons in how to make policy for government, that good intentions must be matched by sound evidence, careful design, and genuine consultation with the people the policy is meant to serve.”

Dr Bawumia also used his address to call for unity among NPP members participating in the party's internal contest.

He said the number of aspirants competing demonstrated that the party had a pool of qualified leaders.

“The talent on display in all the positions tells us that Ghana tells Ghana that the NPP is not short of leaders.”

He described the exercise as an internal contest aimed at selecting a number of qualified individuals to serve the party's broader objective.

“This, however, is just an internal contest to select a few from well-qualified aspirants to serve our party's collective and ultimate objective of winning back the trust of the people to serve our motherland better.”

He urged all aspirants to accept the outcome of the contest and work together after the results.

“Therefore, when the voting is done today, the contest must also end.”

To those who emerge victorious, Dr Bawumia said:

“The first hug and call you make should be to your fellow aspirants.”

He also assured those who do not win that they would continue to have a role to play in the party.

“To those who do not win, I want to firmly assure all of you that this party still needs you and will still need you. There is work for all of us to do.”

He concluded his appeal with a call for a peaceful process.

“Let us vote in peace, accept the results in good faith, and leave Kumasi as one family.”