The leading aspirant in the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2028 presidential primary, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is set to storm Kumasi in the Ashanti Region today.
Former Vice President Bawumia, who was NPP’s presidential candidate for the 2024 general election, is commencing his re-election bid in the party’s stronghold ahead of the primary on 31st January, 2026.
He is expected to be in the Ashanti Region from 10th to 12th September, 2025, according to his campaign itinerary.
Dr. Bawumia will use the three-day tour to rally party delegates, strengthen the NPP base and outline his vision ahead of the party’s crucial presidential primary.
His campaign, according to information gathered by THE CUSTODIAN, will span seven operational zones within the Ashanti Region, including Adansi, Amansie, Asante Akim, Sekyere-Kumawu, Afigya-Kwabre, Mampong-Nsuta, Ahafo and Atwima, as well as Kumasi Zones 1 & 2.
At each location, Dr. Bawumia will meet with regional and constituency executives, Members of Parliament (MPs), former Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), the Regional Council of Elders, and past party executives.
The 2024 presidential candidate, the paper gleaned, will officially inform these key stakeholders of his intention to contest the upcoming primary and why he should be re-elected for the next general election.
The tour will begin on Wednesday with visits to the Adansi, Amansie and Asante Akim zones. On Thursday, he will continue with engagements in the Sekyere Effiduase-Kumawu, Nsuta-Mampong and Afigya Kwabre zones.
The final day will cover Ahafo, Atwima, and the two Kumasi zones.
The former Vice President, according to sources within his campaign team, will reiterate his call for unity, peace and reconciliation throughout his meetings with a strong appeal to NPP members to work together to strengthen the party ahead of the 2028 general election.
Dr. Bawumia, the sources added, will intensify his grassroots engagements with visits to Electoral Area Coordinators and polling station executives, who form the backbone of the NPP’s organisational machinery.
He will be accompanied by many NPP bigwigs, including the running mate to presidential candidate in the 2024 general election, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh; former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; former Director-General of Ghana Health Service, Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare; and the majority of the NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Ashanti Region.
‘Bawumia is the most prepared candidate for 2028 polls’
Ahead of the party’s presidential primary, the 2024 NPP presidential candidate indicated he was the most prepared candidate to lead the party into the 2028 general election and to assume the presidency in January 2029.
Addressing thousands of party faithful at the NPP headquarters in Accra after submitting his nomination forms on 13th August, 2025, Dr Bawumia argued that his track record, experience, and longstanding service to the party placed him ahead of all the contenders.
He reminded supporters that he had served as the NPP’s running mate on four occasions and as Vice-President for two terms, in addition to contesting as flagbearer in the 2024 election.
“I am offering myself to be elected as flagbearer because I believe I owe a duty to this party to give her a choice to put forward the most prepared candidate for the 2028 election and the most prepared person to be President in January 2029,” he declared.
Dr Bawumia recounted his extensive involvement in grassroots mobilisation, noting that he had visited every constituency at least five times over the past 16 years to campaign and work for the NPP.
“Just like the thousands of you who may not have had all the money in the world to throw at the party, all my sweat, my reputation, my knowledge, and my person have been dedicated to working with you for the success of this party.
“As a result of this, there is no village or hamlet, no city or town where Mahamudu Bawumia’s face and name are not known,” Dr Bawumia recounted to loud cheers.
He maintained that the NPP should not discard the gains of the 2024 campaign but rather consolidate and expand them to secure victory in 2028.
“I owe this party a duty:if we are to win 2028, we ought not to start afresh from zero. Instead, we ought to build on the nearly 42% of valid votes and work to cross the 50% mark in the next election,” he said.
Highlighting his achievements as Vice-President, Dr Bawumia pointed to initiatives he spearheaded that, in his view, continue to shape the nation’s progress.
“I’ve also had the privilege of serving as Vice President and supporting the President and government in our last administration with ideas that have significantly impacted the lives of millions of our people,” he stated, before listing several reforms he championed.
Some of the life-changing initiatives he spearheaded included one constituency, one ambulance; Zipline Drone medical delivery system; Zongo Development Fund that has provided many projects in Zongo communities, Agenda 111 policy to provide hospitals; mobile money interoperability, digital address system; and digitalisation of Ghana’s ports, hospitals, Passport Offices, and Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
