In a warm and deeply personal tribute, the Presiding Prelate of the A.M.E. Zion Church, Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dela Dogbe, has publicly described former Vice President and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer for the 2028 general election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a man defined by humility, integrity and faithfulness.
Rev. Dogbe, who leads the Western-West Africa Episcopal District of the A.M.E. Zion Church, opened with a light moment about the familiarity between them.
“Any time I speak in the presence of my family, I always call him DMB. I’m so used to calling him DMB, but I need to be careful on occasions like this. I address him appropriately. His Excellency, the former Vice President. “I’m never ashamed to introduce him,” he emphasised.
Rev. Dogbe gave the eulogy when the former Vice President on Thursday, June 11, 2026, led a delegation of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to a productive consultative meeting with the leadership of the Christian Council of Ghana.
The discussions focused on Ghana’s development, National unity, and shared progress as NPP reaffirmed its commitment to sustained engagement with religious bodies as key partners in promoting peace, inclusivity and prosperity for all Ghanaians.
Dr Bawumia’s humility
Rev. Dogbe contrasted Dr Bawumia with leaders who distance themselves from people once they attain power.
“There are people that you have in your life that sometimes you are even ashamed to introduce them. There are people who you know, but because of their authority and their power, they either do not want anybody close to them, or they pretend they don’t know you.
“There are people you encounter in life that you don’t want to meet again, because the energy that flows from them is not good energy,” he added.
For him, Dr Bawumia, who served as Ghana’s 7th Vice President from 2017 to 2025 — belongs to a different category entirely.
First encounter: humility, integrity, faithfulness
The Prelate, who stressed he has “never been a supporter of any political party, but I vote on whose message speaks volumes to me,” recounted his first meeting with the former Vice President.
“My first encounter with him, I sensed great humility. I sensed integrity, and I sensed faithfulness,” Rev. Dogbe said.
His counsel that day became a refrain he has repeated since: “Stay focused, serve faithfully, and stand firm on the principles that brought you into leadership.”
That initial impression, he said, has only deepened over time.
“To all intents and purposes, we’ve moved beyond that first and second encounter to the level that I’m never ashamed to present him or to introduce him in a way as a brother and a friend, because that’s who he is.”
The three charges: Focused, Faithful, Firm
Bishop Dogbe structured his message around three principles he believes define Dr Bawumia’s public life.
- Be focused. “Be focused on your message. Be focused on everything that you stand for. Be focused, because in this life and in this world, there are so many distractions, personally and socially, that when you keep your focus on what is set before you, you will not be distracted by any power or any authority, any schemings or any manipulations.”
- Be faithful. “You’ve leaned faithfully on the teachings of your parents, the teachings of your teachers, and the wisdom of the great men and women whom you surround yourself with. Continue to be faithful.”
- Stand firm. “Stand firm on the principles that have brought you this far: the principles of sincerity, the principles of faithfulness, the principles of integrity, and everything that makes someone a good person, not a people pleaser. Just stay focused.”
Discernment and destiny
Closing his remarks, Rev Dogbe offered a prayerful caution about leadership circles.
“I believe that as you continue in this way, whatever God’s plan is for you, God will surely bring it to fruition,” he said. “As for us, people of God, sometimes we’ll tell you we’ve seen prophecies, we’ve seen visions. But you also, when you pray, pray for discernment, that God will grant you the grace to discern even the people you surround yourself with. It’s very important. Your success or your failure during the campaign, after the campaign, and every time will depend on the people you surround yourself with.”
His final verdict was unequivocal:
“So all of us, if you ask me over and over again what I think of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, I’ll tell you again and again: he’s a brother, he’s a friend. He’s a person of great humility, very humble. He’s a person of great honor. He gives honor to whoever honor is due. He’s a person of great integrity. That’s all I have to say.”
“Thank you for your kind words.”
