In this write-up, I would like to bring to bare the sacrifices, loyalty, dedication and commitment exhibited by H. E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from the time of his nomination as a running mate in 2008 to the victory won in 2016. The previous write-up unearthed some of the untold contributions of Dr. Bawumia to the NPP government and by extension NPP in the former president J. A. Kufuor’s government.
Dr. Bawumia was working at the Central Bank of Ghana as a deputy governor. He was appointed by former president Kufuor. He was enjoying his work there as he was contributing his quota to the development of that sector and Ghana as a whole. Little did he know that he will be selected as a running mate to the then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo in 2008. However, he made a very risky but important decision by leaving his job at the Bank of Ghana and accepting a running mate slot that was not a guarantee that he will automatically become the Vice President of Ghana. This decision he took, marked the beginning of his sacrifices for NPP.
The New Patriotic Party went into the 2008 general elections with Dr. Bawumia as its running mate. He toured the length and breadth of the country, canvassing for votes for the party to retain power and possibly break the eight then. Unfortunately, the party lost power to the then largest opposition party.
After the 2008 general elections in Ghana, Dr. Bawumia had many high-profile job opportunities and among them was Resident Representative of the African Development Bank for Zimbabwe. He worked there for some time until he was called by his boss, Nana Akufo-Addo again to partner him for the 2012 Ghana’s general elections for the second time. Dr. Bawumia answered the call again to serve NPP by leaving that enviable position again at the AfDB. The love of Dr Bawumia for NPP is undoubtedly unquantifiable evidence by the critical sacrifices he has made so far for the party.
The delegates saw how Dr. Bawumia campaigned vigorously in 2012 general elections. He committed himself to the course of the party and as usual travelled across the whole country severally until the D-Day where he cast his vote in Kperiga in the Walewale constituency. The declaration of the results was not in favor of the NPP.
The NPP as a law-abiding party did not resort to violence but rather filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the electoral process and the results of the elections. A very important question is that, who was the key witness to the NPP’s petition in court? Dr. Bawumia! It will interest you to know that no one was ready to enter the witness box but Dr Bawumia availed himself despite the potential political risk associated with it. I am aware he was advised against the decision to enter the witness box but for his love and loyalty to the party, he opted to defend the party. He defended the party creditably well while in the witness box at the Supreme Court.
Interestingly, National Democratic Congress (NDC) also went to court in 2021 following the declaration of the 2020 general elections after unsuccessful street protest amidst burning of car tyres on major roads in parts of the country. There was a clear difference between Dr. Bawumia as a key witness to the 2012 general elections’ petition and Mr. Asiedu Nketiah (General Mosquito) as a key witness to the 2020 general elections’ petition. The famous calculations by General Mosquito and I did not bring any figure to court in mind. Dr. Bawumia as a witness exposed a lot of flaws in the electoral process in the Ghanaian elections in 2012 and there is no doubt that it helped in shaping and guiding subsequent elections in Ghana. He sacrificed his time, family, job, resources, among others and stayed to the course of NPP until the final judgement was made. It must be stated clearly that the 2012 general elections’ petition ran for a period of eight months continuously. This kind of sacrifices can only be made by the only and only delegates’ choice, Dr Bawumia.
The undesirable results of the Supreme Court judgement in 2013 did not dampen the spirit of Dr. Bawumia at all as he continued his efforts in getting NPP back to power. In fact, he did not even look for any job again but devoted his all to the party’s course. He fought hard in 2016 general elections and finally, God delivered victory to the party. It is a common knowledge that the victory of NPP in the 2016 elections was largely attributed to the ever loyal, dedicated, committed and hard-working Dr. Bawumia.
As a result of the sacrifices and unflinching loyalty of Dr. Bawumia to the party and Nana Akufo-Addo, he has been selected as a running mate for four consecutive times to partner Nana Akufo-Addo. This is unprecedented in the history of the fourth republic of Ghana if not the whole of Africa. This rare opportunity can only happen to a rare gem like H. E Alhaji. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
In conclusion, it is evident that Dr. Bawumia’s sacrifices and loyalty to the NPP is noticed by both majority of delegates and non-delegates alike within the party. The delegates are saying that, the massive support Dr Bawumia is enjoying today is earned through the many sacrifices he has made and continue to make for the party. Hence, the delegates are ready to reward him with a resounding victory on 4th November, 2023 to lead NPP in the 2024 general elections to break the eight.
H. E. Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, president of Ghana, 2025. It is possible, In Sha Allah. Thank You
Alhaji Salifu Hadara