Former Vice -President and 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has expressed optimism that the party will return to power in the 2028 general election.

“I believe that in 2028, the NPP is going to come back into government. I believe so.

There are a few reasons why I am so convinced about this,” he stated.

Interacting with members of the Young Executive Forum (YEF) as part of his Thank You Tour of the UK, Dr Bawumia said Ghana’s political history had shown that first-time presidential candidates often face difficulty winning elections, and this trend may give the NPP an edge in 2028.

“If you look at our political history, it suggests that it is difficult for a first-time presidential candidate to win an election in Ghana.

I don’t know why that is, but Ghanaians want you to come more than once,” Dr Bawumia noted, stressing that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would field a new candidate in 2028, giving the NPP a comparative advantage.

Pattern

He traced the pattern: “John Agyekum Kufuor came back in 2000 after 1996.

President John Mills tried in 2000, 2004 and then won in 2008.

Nana Akufo-Addo also went three times before he won. Mahama’s win in 2012 was unusual.

"Remember, our whole strategy in 2012 was to face Mills. Then Mills passed away.

May his soul rest in peace. The NDC switched to Mahama.

They played funeral songs all the way to victory.

We couldn’t even campaign properly, it would have looked insensitive.”

Now, he said, the NDC’s 2024 win was not a matter of strength but of opportunity.

“The NDC has used Mahama again and again.

But in 2028, they will have to bring a new candidate, and I believe we will have an advantage, all things being equal, over that new candidate.”

NDC promises

The former Vice-President also contended that the NDC’s performance in government would further discredit their campaign promises, especially those related to the cost of living and economic relief.

“In opposition, they made so many promises and told a lot of stories about what they were going to do, and now they have come into government.

It is not easy to do propaganda when you are in government.

It is very easy to do propaganda in opposition,” he said.

Dr Bawumia cited the NDC’s promise to raise the price of a bag of cocoa from ¢3,100 to ¢7,000 and their failure to deliver.

"They said galamsey would stop. It’s rather increasing. Double track?

They said they’d end it within the first year. Today, they say 2027,” he observed.

Dr Bawumia was particularly scathing about the NDC’s flagship promise.

“They told us about a 24-hour economy.

This is their flagship policy.

But it didn’t appear in their budget.

And how can you have a 24-hour economy with dumsor at the same time?”

Those were the reasons, he believed, would make the party have a good shot at the 2028 election.

“I believe that we are in a very good position to win this election, and we should be very enthusiastic about it. I want to count on all of your support,” he stated.