A new report by Africa Policy Lens has made startling revelations on the strength of flagbearer hopefuls of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) among supporters of the party.
In a a survey conducted by the Africa Policy Lens, former Vice President of Ghana and 2024 presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, still commands overwhelming popularity among the core members of the party.
He remains the suitable candidate to lead the NPP for the 2028 election.
According to the report, 70.6% of the respondents who identified themselves as NPP supporters said they support Bawumia as the next flagbearer, reflecting a strong confidence of party supporters in his candidacy.
Following in second place is Kennedy Agyapong who received 21.4% of support.
While Bawumia has the overwhelming support of his party faithful, Kennedy Agyapong, rather enjoys the overwhelming support of supporters of the National Democratic Congress which the main political opponent of the NPP, according to the report.
“Among NDC supporters, 48.4% favor Kennedy Agyapong, while 35.3% favor Bawumia, with the rest undecided,” the report said.
Why Bawumia?
Respondents who said they would vote for Dr Bawumia gave reasons for choosing him and one of the strongest justifications they put up, the report noted, is that Dr Bawumia is widely perceived as the NPP’s most viable candidate to recapture power in 2028.
Also, his northern background is reported as a “strategic electoral asset” and the respondents stated this is important for two reasons.
First, they said it would enable the NPP to compete strongly in regions where the NDC is not traditionally dominant.
Secondly, the respondents firmly believed retaining Bawumia as flagbearer will boost the NPP’s image as truly a national, non-discriminatory party.
“Bawumia’s broad national appeal—evident in his lead across 12 of 16 regions—reinforces his image as a unifying figure with cross-regional support,” a portion of the report read.
The respondents further emphasized that Dr Bawumia’s experience as Vice President coupled with his digitalization and economic modernisation policies are key to Ghana’s growth.
Regional Support Patterns
Dr Bawumia, according to the survey, is a leading candidate and has a dominant support base in 12 of Ghana’s 16 regions.
He topped the polling in traditional NPP strongholds such as Ashanti and Eastern Region as well as competitive areas like Greater Accra.
Apart form the party’s strongholds, the survey reported that Dr Bawumia’s strength is largely pronounced in the northern regions.
“He would carry the Northern, North East, Upper West, Upper East and Savannah even if only NDC-affiliated voters were surveyed. This cross-party appeal in the north is a clear advantage,” the report stressed.
AME
