Showdown

Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has chosen Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as its candidate for the December 2024 presidential…

Ghana’s ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has chosen Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as its candidate for the December 2024 presidential election. The 60-year-old economist, the first Muslim to lead a major party in Ghana since 1992, secured 61.43 percent of the votes. Bawumia has been a key figure in economic policy during President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo’s term. His victory sets the stage for a competition with former president John Mahama. Notably, Bawumia is the first leader outside the dominant Akan-speaking ethnic group to lead the NPP.

Mahamudu Bawumia’s strength as an economic policymaker and the support of President Akufo-Addo and other NPP leaders may make him an appealing candidate. However, his Islamic religion and ethnic background could also create some challenges. While these characteristics may attract voters who feel underrepresented in the country’s political process, they may also cause concerns about his ability to bring different groups together and unify the country. Additionally, some voters may be sceptical of his commitment to the NPP. Dr Bawumia’s campaign team will likely work to mitigate these challenges by emphasising his experience, his commitment to unity and his vision for Ghana’s future, but his candidacy will hinge on how he can overcome these potential obstacles and win the support of a broad range of voters. Beyond the internal party contest, a major battle between former president John Mahama and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on 7 December 2024 is now set. Apart from the fact that Dr Bawumia is a Muslim, the two leading party candidates are from the northern part of the country. John Mahama, though not a Muslim, has, over the years, engaged significant votes from the Zongo communities and Ghana’s five northern regions. This will be the first time two northern people from the two major parties will closely contest in a presidential election. Some analysts opine that Bawumia’s candidacy could syphon votes from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) strongholds in the Northern and Volta regions, where his dual identity as a Muslim and a Northerner gives him a political advantage. Others believe Bawumia’s candidacy will be ineffective because he will be perceived as an extension of the current President Akufo-Addo’s administration and its shortcomings. Many have said that the current economic sins of President Akufo-Addo have made former president Mahama a saint, which is enough to win him a second term in 2024. Beyond this, this will be the first time an NPP presidential candidate will leave the Akan bracket for a different territory, and many see that as a bad omen. Already, an Akan candidate, Alan Kyerematen, who many thought would succeed President Akufo-Addo, has decided to leave the NPP and contest as an independent candidate; this is not a good sign for the NPP, and the NDC hopes to gain political capital from that. The next hurdle for both candidates is choosing their running mates. Since both are Northerners, selecting running mates from the South, preferably Akan, has become imperative. For the NPP, deciding who becomes Bawumia’s running mate goes beyond being an Akan. He has been urged to choose from the Ashanti region, the biggest subset of the Akan ethnic group. Whichever way you look at this, both parties must consider several factors in choosing running mates, as the 2024 elections promise to be the toughest.