Former Minister for Energy and former running mate to Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has expressed strong confidence in Dr Bawumia’s leadership, describing him as the New Patriotic Party’s most prepared and electorally secure option as the party looks ahead to the 2028 presidential election.
Speaking on Asempa FM in Accra, Dr Prempeh said his support for Dr Bawumia was grounded in political history, performance, and electoral logic, not personal loyalty or party sentiment.
According to him, Ghana’s Fourth Republic has shown clearly that presidential candidates do not win by surprise. They grow into national acceptance over time.
“Under the 1992 Constitution, nobody just walks into the presidency,” Dr Prempeh said. “Professor Adu Boahen secured about 30 percent in 1992. President Kufuor contested and lost before he won. President Mills and President Mahama also took more than one attempt.”
He argued that Dr Bawumia has already gone through this difficult stage of political exposure and voter assessment, giving him a strong head start going into 2028.
“Bawumia is not a new face. For sixteen years, he has been on the ballot, first as a running mate and now as Vice President. Ghanaians know him very well,” he stated.
Dr Prempeh stressed that in modern elections, familiarity is not a weakness but a strategic advantage.
“Politics is also about branding. People vote for faces they trust and understand. Bawumia has already built that brand nationally,” he said.
Beyond recognition, Dr Prempeh insisted that competence must support popularity, and he believes Dr Bawumia has proven this across multiple roles.
He pointed to Dr Bawumia’s background at the Bank of Ghana and his work as Head of the Economic Management Team, describing him as a technocrat with real experience in governance.
“This is someone who understands the economy beyond politics. He has been part of serious decision making at the highest level,” he noted.
Dr Prempeh also recalled Dr Bawumia’s role during the 2012 election petition, when the NPP challenged the presidential results at the Supreme Court.
“The pink sheet analysis showed discipline, patience, and attention to detail. That was not ordinary work. It showed commitment to the party and to democracy,” he said.
A key pillar of Dr Prempeh’s endorsement was Dr Bawumia’s leadership in Ghana’s digitalisation agenda, which he described as one of the most practical governance reforms in recent years.
“The Ghana Card, health insurance interoperability, and digital public services are not slogans. These are systems people use every day,” he said.
According to him, digitalisation has improved efficiency across public institutions and reduced long standing bottlenecks in service delivery.
“People forget how difficult basic things used to be. Today, systems are connected. That did not happen by chance,” he added.
Dr Prempeh concluded that elections are not trials and errors, and that political parties must field candidates with endurance, credibility, and national appeal.
“When you are preparing for an election, you do not gamble,” he said. “You put forward your strongest option. Based on history, experience, and performance, Bawumia remains the safest bet for 2028.”
His remarks come amid ongoing political discussions within the NPP, as the party reflects on leadership choices and long term strategy ahead of the next electoral cycle.
