Bring me Mahama to beat in 2024 – Bawumia tells NPP delegates

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on Wednesday, rounded up his New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2024 flag-bearer campaign with a call on the Party’s delegates to handover to him former President John Dramani Mahama to beat in the 2024 presidential polls.

Addressing a rally in Bolgatanga to climax the months of rigorous campaigns ahead of the NPP flag-bearer contest, Dr. Bawumia said beating Mahama at the polls will be a walk-in-the-park if he is elected the torch bearer of the elephant family

According to Dr. Bawumia, he is the only one among the four other contenders to have partnered a presidential candidate (Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) to contest presidential elections in the country in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020.

“I know the grounds and I have campaigned in Presidential elections in the last Sixteen years. I have been to every constituency, slept in many constituencies and I know ground. As the saying goes ‘follow who know road’. I know the road and not only do I know the road, I have the winning experience”, he disclosed.

Dr. Bawumia disclosed that the 2024 elections requires a candidate who knows how to win an election and who has that experience promising to bring that the bare when elected flagbearer of the NPP on November 4, 2023.

“Nana Akufo-Addo and I have won two elections; one in 2016 and the other in 2020. So if you want to break the eight you need one of the aspirants who knows how to win. For me, if you put the flag on my hand on November 4, I will tell you that I know how to win 2024 for this party”, he stressed.

On John Mahama as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag-bearer for the 2024 polls, the Vice President said “When they brought him in 2016 didn’t we beat him? Then they brought him back in 2020 didn’t we beat him again? So if they are bringing him in 2024 who do you think can beat John Mahama in 2024? It is me…we beat him in 2016, we beat him in 2020 and I will beat him in 2024. On November 4, I am just asking you to give John Mahama to me so that I can beat him for you”, he begged delegates.

Accompanied by his spouse Hajia Samira Bawumia, Dr Bawumia recalled his contributions to the growth of the NPP over the years, the sacrifices he has made over the period, and proposals to address the concerns of party members.

“One of my main priorities is to deepen Party-Government relations. A key step would be to allocate a large proportion of the already existing appointments made by the President to the Constituencies and Regions directly. Therefore, each Constituency would be allocated a minimum of 10 appointments, while every Region would receive 20”, he disclosed.

Non-MP Appointees would also be assigned as god-mothers and -fathers to Constituencies to ensure they work within the Constituencies, with a Welfare Office dedicated to compiling the data and managing the needs of party folk, he added.

“With these and some other measures, we will have a stronger and more united party than before.”

Urging delegates to ignore the “lies and propaganda” being shared by his opponents within and without the party, Dr Bawumia said the NPP is uniquely poised to break the mythical ‘8’ with him as candidate, and electing him as flag-bearer would be the best decision the party could make at this time in its history.

“Among the four of us competing for flag-bearer, I am the aspirant with the best track record in winning elections, having won two on the trot. I am the one with Governance experience, serving as Vice President for two terms. I am the one who can unify all the factions within the party. I am the one who can foster peace and unity between the two main religions in the country.

“To crown it all, I am the one the NDC fears the most, and with good reason. They know with me as candidate they will not have a campaign message,” he declared to thunderous applause.

On November 4, 2023, more than 200 thousand delegates of the NPP will elect a presidential candidate (flag-bearer) of the party for the 2024 General Elections. All polls have so far tipped Dr Bawumia to win effortlessly.