How Dr. Bawumia’s stakeholder engagement is sending a clear signal he is the man of the people

There has been an overwhelming endorsement of Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia's Flagbearership bid throughout his consultations with stakeholders of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in various Regions.

Dr. Bawumia, whose interest to contest the vacant NPP Flagbearership for the 2024 election is an open secret, has initiated consultations with key stakeholders of the party and beyond over the past few weeks to inform them of his intentions and then to seek their blessing and support before he formally goes public.

First, sources say he informed the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former President J.A. Kufuor and other stalwarts of the NPP before meeting key party blocks including the influential Majority Caucus to formally inform them of his decision.

The Vice President, in extending reverence to religious and chieftaincy institutions, is also said to have informed and sought the blessings of several traditional and religious authorities across the country, an important exercise his fellow contenders glossed over.

In the past two weeks, Dr. Bawumia has shifted his focus on respecting the NPP's Regional structure by meeting with key stakeholders across the Regions and the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive.

Last week, he spent time in the Western North, Western, Central, Volta and Oti Regions where he met enthusiastic party faithful who minced no words in declaring their support for him.

This week, Dr. Bawumia has been to the three Bono and Ahafo Regions as well as to the Ashanti and Northern Regions.

The support has been massive for the Vice President in all these Regions he visited.

In Volta Region, a former Campaign Manager for Alan Kyerematen, a contender for the flagbearership, he stunned buoyant Regional party stakeholders when he declared his support for Dr. Bawumia.

"Dr. Bawumia is the only one who can break the 8 for the NPP and I support him," Kofi Dzamesi, a former close ally of Alan Kyerematen, said.

In the Bono Region, while Dr. Bawumia was locked in a meeting with the party stakeholders, scores of people charged outside chanting his name and demanding he addresses them.

The Vice President obliged but he was just short of publicly confirming his flagbearership bid.

Instead, he thanked the charged crowd, called for party unity and assured them the government will continue to work.

The story was not different in the Ashanti Region, the NPP's stronghold.

The Region's major stakeholders including constituency executives openly chanted Bawumia’s name and declared their unflinching support for him, commending him for his hardwork and loyalty to the party.

The Constituency Chairman for Oforikrom, Anthony Amankwaa, summing up the sentiments of his colleague Ashanti Regional Constituency Chairmen, said they had long realized the significant contributions by Dr. Bawumia to the party and government and have been working hard for him.

"Dr., this work (to get you elected) did not start today. We the started it long time ago, together with our Chairman, Wontumi. There is even no need for us to say anything today because we already doing the work. We will see you through and we believe you will go and break the 8 for us; may God bless you," Chairman Amankwaa said to a loud applause from his colleagues.

Another Chairman, Collins Addai of Atwima Mponua, lauded Dr. Bawumia for his immense contributions to the electoral success of the NPP, especially, noting in areas which the NPP traditionally didn't do well until the emergence of Dr. Bawumia.

The trend of massive stakeholder endorsement, positive testimonials and enthusiastic grassroots support for Dr. Bawumia continued in the North as he proceeded with his key stakeholder engagements in the Upper West, Savannah and Northern Regions.

As the NPP opens nominations for the Presidential contest next week and Vice President Bawumia gets set to make a formal public declaration to commence what promises to be a historic journey, only time will tell what is ahead.

But the early signal is clear that he is the favourite and the grassroots man to lead the NPP into next elections.

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