'Who would have thought Mahama will be president again?' - Bawumia reflects on 2024 loss and 2028 hopes

“Who would have thought Mahama would return as president of Ghana?” This was the question posed by Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the 2024 NPP presidential candidate.

During his Thank You Tour in the UK, he spoke to members of the Young Executive Forum (YEF). He noted that even seasoned political observers were surprised by the 2024 election outcome.

“Nobody expected this, but it happened,” he said, shaking his head. “Mahama won in 2024 after trying four times: 2012, 2016, and 2020.”

Dr. Bawumia reflected on a rare political event: a former president returning to power after losing.

“Our history shows it’s tough for first-time candidates to win elections in Ghana,” he said. “Ghanaians prefer candidates who have run before.”

He traced this pattern through past elections. John Agyekum Kufuor returned in 2000 after losing in 1996. President John Mills tried three times before winning in 2008. Nana Akufo-Addo also ran three times before his victory.

Mahama's win in 2012 was unusual due to unexpected circumstances. “Our strategy was against Mills until he passed away,” Dr. Bawumia recalled. “The NDC switched to Mahama and won while we struggled to campaign.”

He stated that the NDC’s success in 2024 was more about opportunity than strength.

“The NDC has relied on Mahama repeatedly,” he said. “But they will need a new candidate for 2028.” He believes the NPP will have an advantage then.

Dr. Bawumia acknowledged internal issues within the NPP as well.

“There’s no doubt we made mistakes,” he admitted. “On behalf of our party and government, I apologize for our shortcomings.”

Despite this, he feels confident about future opportunities for the NPP.

“If given another chance, I believe we’ll improve because we’ve learned from our experiences,” he said optimistically about 2028.

He criticized what he called false promises from the NDC regarding their plans for power in 2024.

“They claimed they would lower living costs and prices,” he remarked rhetorically. “Have you seen any price reductions? No, prices are rising instead.”

He continued with specific examples of broken promises:

“They misled cocoa farmers about price increases and now say they had wrong information.” Cocoa farmers are unhappy with this change.

“They promised to stop galamsey activities but it is increasing instead.” Teachers were told their licensure exam would be abolished but that hasn’t happened either.

“Double track education? They promised to end it quickly; now they say it will last until 2027.”

Dr. Bawumia sharply criticized one major promise from the NDC:

“They touted a ‘24-hour economy’ as their flagship policy but didn’t include it in their budget.” He questioned how such an economy could exist amid power outages or dumsor.

He warned that these outages might worsen soon under the current administration.

However, Dr. Bawumia also urged reflection on past leaderships.

“When Kufuor left office, he wasn’t popular,” he noted, “but today many admire him.” He believes people will appreciate Nana Akufo-Addo’s contributions over time when comparing them with current policies.

Ending on a hopeful note, Dr. Bawumia declared confidence for future elections:

“I believe we have a strong chance at winning in 2028,” he stated enthusiastically. “I want your support as we move forward together.”