By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Former Finance Minister and Member of Parliament for Karaga Constituency in the Northern region on the ticket of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, says the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, is the strongest candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
According to him, the NPP’s electoral history points to Dr Bawumia, who served as a former Vice President to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for eight years, as the party’s strongest candidate for the next presidential election.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ current affairs program “AM Show” on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, Dr Amin Adam explained that current polling data and past election trends clearly show that “the dynamics favour Bawumia”.
“I believe that if the NPP wants to win this 2028 election, history favours Bawumia, competency favours Bawumia, and experience favours Bawumia. So the dynamics favour Bawumia,” the Karaga lawmaker reiterated.
According to him, polls conducted so far indicate that the former Vice President and 2024 NPP presidential candidate, who is seeking to lead the party again in the 2028 general elections, performs better than all other contenders among the general Ghanaian population.
“Among Ghanaians generally, Bawumia is doing better than all the other candidates. It cuts across political parties, including the NDC and floating voters. He has shown that in his research, and so that debunks that story.”
The Karaga MP forcefully dismissed claims that members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) support Dr Bawumia because he is the weakest or easiest opponent for the NDC to beat.
When asked why Dr. Bawumia should be elected to represent the NPP again, as he has already lost as a presidential candidate, Dr Amin Adam argued that the loss is consistent with the party’s historical pattern.
“In our party, any time we have put up a candidate for the first time, that candidate lost. We put up Adu Boahen in 1992; he lost. We put up Kufuor for the first time in 1996, and he lost. We put up Nana Akufo-Addo for the first time in 2008, and he lost. We put up Bawumia for the first time in 2024, and he lost.”
He emphasised that what matters is what happens when a candidate is repeated. “Any time we repeat a candidate, that candidate wins. We repeated Kufuor, and we won. We repeated Nana Akufo-Addo twice, and we won.”
Citing historical data, Dr Amin Adam said the lesson for the party is clear. “If we repeat Bawumia, we will win. That is what our history tells us.”
He warned that choosing a new candidate now would be risky, particularly with the NDC currently in government under President John Mahama.
“This is not the time for experimentation. The NDC is the incumbent. They have state resources. If we experiment and lose, we could be in opposition for 12 years. By the end of those 12 years, we may not even have a party,” he said.
Dr Amin Adam also highlighted the party’s long-term investment in Dr Bawumia, stressing it would be wrong to abandon him at this stage.
“We have invested heavily in Bawumia. We have prepared him. We have marketed him across the country. He has gained experience. We cannot abandon someone we have prepared to become president when the time is so close.”
He noted that Dr Bawumia has appeared on the NPP’s presidential ticket more than any other individual since the party’s formation.
“Some people call him a stranger, but he is the only person who has been on the NPP presidential ticket five times. Four times as running mate and once as flag bearer.”
Comparing Dr Bawumia’s trajectory with that of President John Mahama, Dr Amin Adam said consistency produces results in Ghanaian elections.
“President Mahama used time and consistency to close the gap between himself and President Akufo-Addo. Why don’t we give Bawumia another chance? He won’t even need four years to wipe out the deficit.
These other contestants are my colleagues. They are good people and loyal party members. But when you want to win power, it is not about friendship. It is about who can win the election for you. And that person is Bawumia,” Dr Amin Adam retorted.
