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The vice-president ought to unite the polarised ruling party to boost his chances in the 2024 presidential election of the West African country.
Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has won the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) primary elections and will consequently lead the ruling party in the 2024 presidential ballot.
Bawumia – a former deputy governor of the central bank – amassed 118,210 votes representing 61.47% of the total valid votes cast in Saturday’s election by party delegates to become the first Muslim from northern Ghana to lead the ethnic Akan-dominated party.
Kennedy Agyapong, a prominent lawmaker and the main contender of the eventual winner, secured 71,996 votes, comprising 37.41%.
Bawumia won in 14 regions including Ashanti, the NPP’s stronghold. Agyapong won in only two.
“It’s a victory for the rank and file of our great party and particularly to the grass root members. I am humbled and overwhelmed,†Bawumia said in his victory speech. “We know that the NPP is the only party that can transform Ghana. The NPP will enter 2024 united and energised.
“We are ready to make a strong and convincing case for another term in office with a new leader and fresh mandate … I will not disappoint you. I have my own vision and my own priorities and I shall govern as my own man. My vision is to build a self-sufficient Ghana and data driven economy to usher in a golden age of benefit for our natural resources.â€
Bawumia will be contesting with two-time loser and former president John Mahama of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in December next year.
Ailing economy
The 60-year-old Bawumia is leading the governing party at a time Ghana is suffering its worst economic and financial crisis in decades. The West African nation has signed a $3bn loan deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a bid to better manage its debt burden.
Ghana’s inflation rate dropped to a 12-month low in September of 38.1% down from 40.1% in the previous month. Rating agency Fitch Solutions says it anticipates Ghana’s debt to decline to 87% of gross domestic product (GDP) at the end of this year., from 89% in 2022.
The reduction, according to Fitch, was due to the 50% haircut on the Bank of Ghana’s holdings of non-marketable debt, which represented a debt reduction of 4.2% of the estimated 2023 GDP.
Economist Daniel Anim Amarteye says Ghana’s economic performance will play a major role in next year’s election.
“Definitely, how the government has managed the economy will dominate the general elections. The opposition will use it to campaign,†Amarteye of the Accra-based Policy Initiatives for Economic Development (PIED Africa) tells The Africa Report.
“Bawumia and the NPP government have a lot to do to put the economy back on strong footing before the election because the ordinary Ghanaian will make a decision based on how the economy is performing,†he adds. “The government must look at ways to mitigate the plight of Ghanaians as a result of high taxes among others.
Bawumia, for his side, sounded an optimistic note, saying that “the work of economic recovery is underway. Inflation is on the decline and [the] exchange rate has slowed down. I will continue to support the president to sustain these gainsâ€.
Fixing cracks
With 16 years in active politics, Bawumia is the first vice-president to go two full terms with a president then immediately become the leader of the ruling party. But the four-time running-mate has an uphill task of uniting the polarised NPP.
The internal contest did not go without acrimony. Alan Kyerematen, a party stalwart and former trade minister, dropped out of the race after the first round in August, citing bias. He later formed a movement to contest the next election as an independent candidate.
Former chairman of the NPP Peter Mac Manu tells The Africa Report that the party will fix all the cracks that materialised in the presidential primary. “We need all the contestants to rally around the winner. We need a unified party to win the general election,†he says.
“No internal election takes place without divisions. However, now that we have finished with this contest, we will all come together for the major contest ahead. If we don’t do that then we have failed the party.â€
Bawumia’s main rival Agyapong agrees that harmony among the rank and file is key for the NPP to retain power.
“I pledge my support that we are going to work tirelessly to ‘break the eight,’†which is the NPP’s slogan that refers to its plan to break the eight-year political cycle to ensure sustainable development. “Let’s put everything behind us and let’s remain united,†Agyapong said.
No political party in Ghana has ever won three consecutive terms under the Fourth Republic, but Bawumia, whose campaign slogan was “It is possibleâ€, believes he can achieve this feat.
NPP stalwart Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko told the media on the voting day that more needs to be done by the NPP “to break the eight-year cycle, but it starts with massively endorsing the candidate so that we don’t encounter problemsâ€.
Right choice
While handing over the flag bearer baton to Bawumia, President Nana Akufo-Addo said his protégé is capable of inflicting “a third successive defeat on John Mahamaâ€.
“Ghana cannot afford the return of the NDC, especially under the leadership of Mahama. So, let’s all pull together and campaign because the election won’t be easy. However, with unity we’ll win,†Akufo-Addo said.
For his part, political scientist Abdul-Razak Wuni tells The Africa Report that the NPP made the right choice by picking Bawumia in the build-up to the 2024 general elections.
Bawumia is the “most marketable in the party now and with his experience he can give the NDC a good fightâ€, he says.
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