Former Defence Minister and Bimbilla MP, Dominic Nitiwul, says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has effectively settled on who should lead the party into the 2028 general elections.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Nitiwul argued that the party cannot afford the time or political risk involved in promoting a new presidential candidate, insisting that Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia remains the NPP’s safest and strongest option.
“We have no time to market a new candidate,” he stated.
According to him, Dr Bawumia already has a significant electoral advantage and is best positioned to win both the party’s primaries and the 2028 national elections.
“I can tell you, in this election, Bawumia is going to win,” Mr Nitiwul said, explaining that his confidence is based on political experience and historical precedent.
“I can tell you for a fact that in this election [the NPP primaries], Bawumia is going to win—just as Akufo-Addo won for a second time in 2010 and again in 2014,” he added.
Mr Nitiwul was careful to clarify that his comments were not meant to undermine other potential aspirants within the party, including Ken, Bryan, Adutwum, or Kwabena Agyapong.
“This is not to take anything away from any other candidate,” he said. “But the reality is that we don’t have the time to market a new candidate.”
He maintained that Dr Bawumia’s public image and political record have already been thoroughly scrutinised by both supporters and critics.
“He has shown that he is very competent, not corrupt, and there is nothing new to find about Bawumia anymore,” he said.
According to Mr Nitiwul, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has already exhausted its criticisms of the Vice President, and voters have made up their minds.
“Whatever the NDC wants to say, they have said it already, and Ghanaians have assessed it,” he noted.
He further argued that changing candidates at this stage would be costly and impractical.
“We don’t have the time to change all the billboards and every other thing,” he said.
Mr Nitiwul also pointed to Ghana’s electoral history, noting that voters have traditionally been reluctant to elect first-time presidential candidates.
“The rule of thumb is that Ghanaians have never voted for a first-timer,” he said.
This, he explained, gives Dr Bawumia a critical edge, as he would be contesting the presidency for a second time, just like the likely candidates from the opposition.
“We cannot risk presenting a first-time candidate when there is someone who is a second-timer and can win the elections,” he stressed.
He warned that losing the 2028 elections would have severe consequences for the party.
“We should never lose in 2028. It will be disastrous for the NPP,” he cautioned.
Mr Nitiwul’s comments come amid early internal discussions and manoeuvring within the NPP ahead of the 2028 elections, following the party’s defeat in the 2024 polls and an ongoing debate over whether to retain a familiar candidate or introduce new leadership.
