A communicator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Awal Muhammad, has said former Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the candidate with the ability to bridge the gap that would exist between the party’s grassroots and the government when they win power.
Speaking on GhOne TV’S Morning Show, GhToday, on Monday, 27th January, 2026, Awal highlighted a historical “yawning gap,” which he said previously alienated party faithful and fueled voter apathy in the 2024 elections.
Dr. Bawumia, who was unhappy with this, has developed a definitive solution to ensure that the party’s rank and file remain central to governance.
“When we were in government, there was a yawning gap between the government and the party, and that was what cost us, especially the apathy,” Awal admitted.
Dr. Bawumia intends to decentralize influence by bringing local constituents directly into the corridors of power as part of the remedies to this problem.
“Dr. Bawumia is saying that learning from that, if he becomes president, he will appoint ten people from each constituency—the constituency will submit ten people—and then they will be appointed into government so that the constituents will submit their challenges to them,” he explained.
The communicator, while encouraging delegates of the party to vote for Dr. Bawumia also said his experience in governance outweighs that of all the aspirants.
“He’s been the vice president for the last eight years; there’s no one in this country who has that track record. He has been a running mate for eight years. There’s no one in this country who has that track record as well,” Awal stated.
He further critiqued the administrative experience of other contenders, noting that:
“The only people who have tasted [governance] are cabinet people, and they didn’t spend even up to four years in cabinet.”
To him, Dr. Bawumia has a national appeal and would readily lead the NPP into victory in 2028 when elected as flagbearer once more.
“The only person who is most popular, most appealing, and has the track record of governance is Dr. Bawumia, in all parties. There’s no one in the NDC who can match him.”
Addressing the “first-timer” jinx in Ghanaian elections, Awal opined that the political landscape favours those who have already served at the highest levels of the executive.
He mentioned that figures like Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama initially contested as sitting presidents.
“In the history of all political parties, there’s no first-timer who has won any elections in this country,” Awal claimed and insisted that Dr. Bawumia’s familiarity with the presidency gives him an edge that newcomers lack.
“Dr. Bawumia stands tall, and he will win overwhelmingly and will be able to bring everyone together so that we win the 2028 elections,” he said.
