The Northern Regional Director of Operations for the campaign team of Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Alhaji Baba Alhassan, has urged delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to reject the candidature of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, warning that his selection as flagbearer could consign the party to continued opposition in the 2028 general elections.
Speaking on Radio Tamale’s Bugum Beni drive programme with Fuseini Safianu Mandeya on Thursday, Alhaji Baba Alhassan argued that Dr. Bawumia no longer commands broad electoral appeal, particularly following the party’s defeat in the last general elections.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia’s previous loss to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) demonstrates that he is not the right candidate to reposition the NPP for victory. He cautioned that choosing him again would likely result in another electoral defeat.
“God forbid, if Dr. Bawumia wins the January 31 presidential primaries, we will lose the elections again,” he said.
“With Dr. Bryan Acheampong, it will be a walkover for the NPP. Party supporters are angry, and we cannot win the 2028 elections with a candidate who is not attractive to the electorate.”
Alhaji Baba Alhassan attributed the NPP’s loss in the 2024 general elections largely to voter apathy among party supporters rather than overwhelming popularity of the NDC’s candidate.
“The reason President John Dramani Mahama won convincingly was because our own members refused to vote,” he stated.
“When you look carefully, you will realise that the margin was largely due to our supporters staying away. We therefore need a candidate who can energise the base and make the party marketable to the wider electorate.”
In the 2024 presidential election, Dr. Bawumia, who led the NPP into the contest, polled 4,877,611 votes, representing 41.75 per cent of the valid votes cast.
He lost to the NDC’s John Dramani Mahama, who secured 6,591,790 votes, equivalent to 56.42 per cent, a margin of over 1.7 million votes.
Dr. Bawumia is contesting the NPP’s presidential primaries alongside four other aspirants: Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, Dr. Adu Twum, and Kwabena Agyei Agyapong.
Report By: Fuseini Safianu Mandeya
