'Bawumia's rivals rushing to Ashanti, but victory is his' - Kwadaso MP

The Member of Parliament for Kwadaso constituency, Professor Kingsley Nyarko, has expressed optimism about Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s victory in the upcoming NPP presidential primaries.

According to him, all the available data and other indicators point to the fact that the former Vice President and 2024 NPP flagbearer is winning by a wide margin.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Hello FM, monitored by GhanaWeb’s Ashanti Regional Correspondent Nana Peprah, Professor Nyarko said that all the other contenders have observed Dr Bawumia’s strong lead, which is why they keep revisiting the Ashanti region despite having already conducted campaigns there.

“There is a clear signal, and that signal is victory for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. Among all the candidates, Dr. Bawumia was the last to visit the Ashanti region. Dr Bryan Acheampong came here, and Kennedy Agyapong also came. I even attended when Kennedy visited. Now, I have seen some of them return to the region to campaign after seeing how Dr Bawumia is making waves. They already know they’ve lost, and that’s why some of them are coming back,” he said, responding to a question about Dr Bawumia’s campaign in the region.

Professor Nyarko, a known supporter of Dr Bawumia, described the campaign in Ashanti as very effective and promising, a clear signal of victory.

Explaining why Dr Bawumia deserves to lead the party and continue toward Ghana’s presidency, the Kwadaso MP said that among all Vice Presidents under the Fourth Republic, Dr Bawumia has been very visible and exceptional. While acknowledging Alhaji Aliu Mahama as one of the best, Professor Nyarko said Dr Bawumia “stands tall.”

According to him, most of Dr Bawumia’s initiatives as Vice President are still being felt today under the current NDC government.

He further described him as competent, brilliant, humble, popular, and the most experienced among the current contenders.

Professor Nyarko also expressed concern over those who solely blame Dr Bawumia for the NPP’s 2024 defeat.

He rejected such claims, noting that no political party under the Fourth Republic has been able to rule beyond eight years.

“Looking at the critical moment he was contesting in the party’s second term, there is no way someone should attribute the defeat to him. His inability to win doesn’t make him a bad candidate,” he said.

Analysing the NPP’s performance from 2016 to 2024, he emphasised that there is no basis for attributing the party’s losses to a single individual.

“Looking at 2016, we had 169 parliamentarians. In 2020, it reduced to 137, plus the independent candidate from Fomena, which brought us to 138. During all these periods, Dr Bawumia was not leading, yet the decline continued,” he said.

Professor Nyarko argued that the party needed proper introspection to identify the causes of recurring electoral decline, rather than placing blame on one person.

He further expressed surprise that some people quickly declared their intention to contest the NPP presidential primaries while the party was still examining the reasons behind the 2024 defeat.

“It’s very sad to see people blaming only Dr Bawumia when all of them, including myself, were part of the governance,” he said.

Finally, Professor Nyarko urged delegates to vote massively for Dr Bawumia, adding that most leaders within the party, including former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, had contested multiple times before securing the party’s flagbearership.