Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President and the 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, has urged his rivals for the NPP 2028 flagbearership to contest him with their visions and ideas.
According to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP’s 2026 primaries must be on ideas and visions and not on tribal or religious propaganda.
Dr Bawumia, addressing the NPP New York 33rd Anniversary celebration on Sunday, August 24, dismissed attempts to discredit him based on his northern roots or Islamic faith.
He noted that tribal or religious propaganda is dangerous and unworthy of the NPP’s democratic tradition.
Dr Bawumia at the event stated, “If you want to contest me, come with a vision, come with your ideas, come with your track record, come with your integrity and let us decide”.
“The NPP has always been the party that embraces all Ghanaians, regardless of where they come from or what religion they practise. That is our heritage and our strength. If we stay true to this and focus on ideas, we will be well-positioned to win the 2028 elections,” he added.
His comments come on the back of Dr Bryan Acheampong, a flagbearer hopeful, who attributed the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 presidential election to the tribe of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Speaking to a gathering, Dr Bryan Acheampong stated, “President Kufuor won all NPP votes in Kusasi, and President Akufo-Addo also did the same thing, but because the fight is between two tribes (Mamprusis and Kusasis) and we elected a flagbearer from one of them, we lost in the Oti Region, Upper East, Upper West, and the Northern Region.
“We lost all our seats because of the candidate we presented (Dr Mahamudu Bawumia), and he could be a victim of circumstance and not his fault, but the timing didn’t favour him”, he added.
However, a statement released from the campaign office of Dr Bryan Acheampong has cautioned the public against mischief.
According to them, Dr Bryan Acheampong’s message was not about division.
“Dr Acheampong has not, at any point, blamed former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for the Kusasi-Mamprusi conflict. His comments in the original video clearly stated that Dr Bawumia was a victim of circumstances, not a cause of division”, the report stated.
“Dr Acheampong’s message is clear: the NPP must unite around a winning strategy and candidate. His vision is to position the NPP for decisive victory in 2028 and to govern with the strength and clarity needed to resolve the deep-rooted issues holding communities and the nation back”, the report added.
Meanwhile, a new poll released by Global Info Analytics on August 21, 2025, shows the former Vice President and NPP presidential candidate for the 2024 Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is the leading candidate ahead of the party’s primaries in January 2026.
The Global Info Analytics shows Dr Mahamudu Bawumia running away with a commanding 52% lead, with his closest contender, Kennedy Agyapong, the former Assin Central MP, with 17%.
Dr Bryan Acheampong polled 3%, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the former Education Minister, polled 1%.
Kwabena Agyapong, former General Secretary, Boakye Agyarko, and Addai Nimo all polling less than 1%.
However, 10% of delegates remain undecided, with 9% declining to disclose their choice.
According to the Global Info Analytics, the poll surveyed 2,656 NPP delegates, with 2,560 completing all responses across 263 of the 276 constituencies.
Watch the video below:
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former Vice President and the NPP’s presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, has dismissed claims by Hon. Bryan Acheampong suggesting that the party’s losses in the Bawku zone were due to his Mamprusi background.
— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) August 24, 2025
He emphasized that the Bawku zone has… pic.twitter.com/qlrhlbG3gT