Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has expressed optimism that he would win the flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and lead the governing party to victory in the 2024 general election.
He has accordingly picked nomination forms to contest the party’s presidential primaries scheduled to take place on November 4, 2023.
Former NPP Vice Chairman Fred Oware, former National Organizer Sammi Awuku and a founding member of the governing party in the Ashanti region, Dr. Ayisi Boateng who are members of Dr Bawumia’s campaign team yesterday picked the nomination forms for the vice president at the party’s headquarters in Asylum Down.
Vice President Bawumia received the documents from the team at the Jubilee House, confirming his intention to lead the NPP into the 2024 polls.
Dr. Bawumia who has been described as the most impactful Vice President Ghana has ever had, is confident of winning the 2024 presidential election to become the next president after his boss Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Prior to the opening of nominations few weeks ago, the Vice President met with various stakeholders in the party to broadly consult and interact with them about his presidential ambition.
He first met with the majority group in Parliament to declare his intention to contest the primaries and later former President John Agyekum Kufuor among other key stakeholders.
Vice President Bawumia also took time to travel across the country, meeting with party executives and engaging with grassroots supporters as well as opinion leaders.
His recent consultations happened in the Volta Region at the weekend where he interacted with functionaries of the NPP at Hohoe during which he reiterated his intention to ran for the presidency.
Speaking at the Hohoe meeting, Vice President Bawumia thanked the party faithful for their unflinching support.
“I want you to know that I appreciate your support. We are going to break the 8.
“First of all, we are going to file for the flagbearership race, which I’m going to do, win the flagbearership, break the 8, and go to Jubilee House. That is what I’m going to do”, Dr Bawumia stated.
Massive support for Bawumia
Meanwhile, several groups at the grassroots and leading members of the governing party have thrown their unwavering support behind Dr Bawumia to succeed President Akufo-Addo.
A few days ago, a group fully paid for and picked flagbearer nomination forms for Dr Bawumia and presented the documents to him as a surprise at the Jubilee House.
The Bawumia Fan Club’s leader, Ntim Jakari, told journalists they did all that on the vice president’s blindside.
He said they believe Dr Bawumia must lead the NPP into the 2024 general elections to break the eight-year political cycle of change.
They displayed a GCB Bank cheque for GH¢50,000 with which they bought the forms for the vice president.
“The Bawumia Fun Club decided that we will pay and go and present it to our father and our president-to-be.
“He is not aware we are doing this…. We are taking him by surprise.
“After payment, we are going to the Jubilee House to present it to him”, Mr Jakari told journalists.
Presidential aspirants
NPP flagbearer aspirants started picking forms from Friday, 26 May 2023, after the party opened nominations on that day until Saturday, 24 June 2023.
The party made the announcement in a statement signed by General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong.
Each aspirant is to pay GH¢50,000 for the forms.
Apart from Dr Bawumia, the other aspirants include former Minister for Trades and Industry Alan Kyerematen, Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, Essikado-Ketan MP Joe Ghartey and the party’s former General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong.
The rest are former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, former Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto, former Minister for Regional Cooperation and NEPAD Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku and former MP for Mampong Francis Addai-Nimoh.
