In the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential primary, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana’s vice president, emerged victorious, positioning himself for a 2024 general election showdown with the former president and NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama.
Dr. Bawumia triumphed over three other candidates, which included the outspoken Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, former Minister for Agriculture and former Mampong MP, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and Francis Addai-Nimoh.
The provisional results released so far indicate that Dr. Bawumia secured 118,210 votes, equivalent to 61.43%, while his closest rival, Mr. Agyapong, garnered 71,991 votes, representing 37.41%.
Dr. Afriyie Akoto came in third place with 1,459 votes, accounting for 0.76%, while Addai-Nimoh garnered a mere 781 votes, representing 0.41%.
A total of 193,339 delegates participated in the presidential primary on Saturday, with 192,441 votes considered valid and 898 votes rejected. The voter turnout stood at 94.63%.
Dr. Bawumia had been the favorite to win the presidential primary from the outset, even though he fell short of the 80% target set by his campaign team.
Numerous Members of Parliament and Ministers threw their support behind Dr. Bawumia, who is a highly regarded figure within the NPP.
Dr. Bawumia’s nomination as the NPP’s presidential candidate marks a historic moment, as he becomes the first non-Akan to lead the party into a general election after serving as the running mate to President Akufo-Addo since 2008.
The upcoming 2024 election is anticipated to be a closely contested one, with both Bawumia and Mahama regarded as formidable candidates, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The election’s outcome is likely to hinge on various factors, including the state of the economy, the candidates’ campaign strategies, and voter turnout.