Northern voters backing Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in the New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer race are doing so on the basis of competence rather than ethnicity, Dominic Nitiwul, the NPP Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, has said.
Speaking during party engagements, Mr Nitiwul rejected claims that support for the Vice President among northerners is driven by regional or ethnic considerations, arguing that political choices in the north have historically prioritised perceived ability and electability.
“Since the beginning of Ghana, northerners have never voted because someone comes from the north,” he said. “Our elders and grandfathers never taught us to follow a person simply because of where he comes from.”
To illustrate his point, Mr Nitiwul cited early traditions within the NPP and its antecedents, recalling that northern political leaders once backed Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia for leadership despite holding a numerical advantage in Parliament. He said the decision was taken because Busia was considered the right leader for the party and the country, not because of regional affiliation.
He also referenced the 1996 election, when the late Alhaji Malik Yakubu, a northern candidate, received minimal support even in his home constituency. According to Mr Nitiwul, northern voters at the time rallied behind former President John Agyekum Kufuor, whom they believed had the best chance of leading the party to victory.
Mr Nitiwul further pointed to the political journey of the late Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, noting that northerners backed Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in successive elections rather than insisting on regional succession. He said this demonstrated a consistent pattern of prioritising national strategy over ethnic sentiment.
Against that background, Mr Nitiwul said current support for Dr Bawumia should be understood in the same light. “We are not rooting for Mahamudu Bawumia because he’s a northerner,” he said. “We are following him because he is the most competent person and the one who can give the NPP power in 2028.”
He described Dr Bawumia as the best vice president Ghana has produced, citing his performance in office as evidence of his leadership capacity. Mr Nitiwul expressed confidence that Dr Bawumia would lead the party to victory and deliver effective governance if elected president.
“Let nobody say northerners are following Bawumia because he is from the north,” he added. “We believe he is the best, and that is why we are supporting him.”
The comments come as the NPP intensifies internal campaigning ahead of its next presidential primaries, with questions of regional balance and electoral appeal featuring prominently in public debate.
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