The Oti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Evans Yaw Dapaah, has urged members of the party in the region to rally behind former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and retain him as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2028 election.
Welcoming Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to Dambai, on Friday, at the start of the former Veep’s campaign tour of the Oti Region, the regional chairman urged party members to be guided by history of the Fourth Republic whereby candidates who are consistently retained by the two major political parties after initial defeats, go on to emerge as President.
Citing examples of Presidents of the Fourth Republic and the benefits they derived from their party’s consistent support, the regional chairman said there is “wisdom” in consistency hence the need to back Bawumia again.
“Kufuor did not win in 1996 and some people said Kufuor was not marketable so he should be replaced. Some even said an Asante would never be President in Ghana because he would be bigger than Otumfuo, so Kufuor should not be retained as our Flagbearer. But the party believed in him and supported him, and Kufuor won the next elections for Ghana in 2000,” said the Chairman.
“When Nana Addo also came, people said all manner of things against him. They said Nana Addo could never be President in Ghana. They even said he was too short. But after we backed him on three occasions, Nana Addo eventually won.
“If we look at our opponents the NDC, they backed the late Atta Mills on three occasions before he eventually won to become President.
“Mahama, a sitting President lost an election in 2016. That was unprecedented – for a sitting President to lose election. But the NDC backed him twice after he lost and he emerged President again.
“That was even a former President, who lost the election as President. How much more Bawumia, who was a Vice President with limited powers and has never been President before.
“This shows that there is wisdom in consistency so let us retain Bawumia. If we don’t retain him, it will have a huge negative effect on our party. It will affect the progress of our party.”