Bawumia is NPP’s surest path to power - Raphael Kumah

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Parliamentary Candidate for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency in the Savannah Region in the 2024 elections, Raphael Kumah Abolasom, has called on party delegates to rally behind Dr Mahamudu Bawumia ahead of Saturday’s presidential primary, describing the former Vice President as the party’s “surest way to power” in the 2028 general election.

According to Kumah, backing Dr Bawumia at this stage is not an act of goodwill but a calculated political strategy that positions the party for victory while clearing the path for future aspirants.

“Supporting Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to win now and not later, is not an act of charity; it is a matter of strategy,” he said in a statement released to the media.

“A Bawumia victory on January 31, followed by a successful run in 2028, clears the lane for future aspirants.”

Kumah argued that political history demonstrates that candidates who are delayed rarely disappear but instead return repeatedly until they eventually win.

“President Kufuor did it. President Nana Akufo-Addo did it. Dr Bawumia will not be the exception,” he stated.

He questioned the logic of prolonging internal contests when, in his view, no meaningful progress is achieved through delay.

“Politics is neither an eternal nor an immovable queue. What then is the point of endless waiting when no real progress is being made?” he asked.

“The lesson is simple: either we help him win early, or we wait much longer. Dr. Bawumia has paid his dues.”

Kumah noted that the Vice President has endured years of criticism, insults and sustained mockery, yet has remained resolute and consistent in his service to the party.

“He is one of the most marketed candidates in our political history, and undoubtedly the most marketed within the NPP today,” he said.

“Since 2008, Dr Bawumia has been the face of the party through both adversity and prosperity. Ambition alone is never enough; competence is decisive, and Dr. Bawumia embodies both.”

With just days to the election of a new flagbearer, Kumah described the moment as a critical crossroads for the NPP, stressing that the contest transcends individual personalities.

“This is not merely a contest of personalities; it is a test of memory and political wisdom,” he said.

“How we respond now will determine whether we move forward together or repeat a costly cycle.”

He reminded party members of the NPP’s ideological roots, anchored in the Danquah–Busia–Dombo Tradition, and urged sober reflection on the party’s past experiences.

Kumah warned that the internal divisions that plagued the party during the 2007–2008 and 2012 election cycles appear to be resurfacing.

“Truth be told, 2008 was ours to win decisively if only the house had stood as one,” he said, adding that internal sabotage undermined the party’s chances at the time.

He referenced the book Chasing the Elephant into the Bush and subsequent commentaries as painful reminders of the internal fractures that frustrated Nana Akufo-Addo’s earlier presidential ambitions.

Similar challenges, he noted, persisted in 2012, when outward unity masked unresolved internal tensions.

“If the same fervour and unity we demonstrated in 2016 had been applied in 2008 and 2012, history would read very differently,” he said, suggesting that internal entitlement and rivalry delayed the party’s progress.

Drawing parallels to recent events, Kumah argued that while the party may have lost some public goodwill in 2024, internal sabotage and betrayal significantly worsened its fortunes.

“Unless we confront this pattern honestly, we will continue limping in circles,” he cautioned. “We must abandon the mentality that says, ‘If it is not me, then it must not be him.’”

In conclusion, Kumah maintained that while every aspirant may have a moment, the present political climate demands Dr Bawumia’s leadership.

“In moments such as these, you do not send a characterless general to war,” he said. “You send a leader with both skill and character.”

He described Dr Bawumia as possessing not only competence but also the temperament and emotional intelligence Ghana needs at this critical juncture.

“This is Dr Bawumia’s time and season,” he said.