By J. A. Sarbah
In Ghana’s Fourth Republic, no political figure has both energized and unsettled their own party like Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has done within the New Patriotic Party (NPP). His rise is not only meteoric — it is mysterious, enigmatic, even disruptive to the old political order. His emergence at the frontline of NPP succession politics has left many stunned: how did a so-called newcomer leapfrog a queue supposedly reserved for founding fathers and loyalists?
Herein lies the enigma. Bawumia has not only risen; he has leapfrogged convention. And he did not do so through patronage or family name. He earned his place through intellect, message discipline, digital-era policy delivery, and bold national visibility. From the Town Hall economic lectures that took the NDC to the cleaners, to his championing of digital reforms and financial inclusion, Bawumia brought the NPP brand into the 21st century.
But rather than being embraced as a generational asset, he has become a target for envy — and not from the party’s base. His real opposition is not from grassroots patriots. It is from a self-entitled few — the remnants of old political clans — who view the NPP as their inheritance. These are not mere dissenters; they are power-hungry insiders who see Bawumia as an uninvited guest at their family table. The likes of Alan Kyerematen and Kennedy Agyapong, both of whom stoked flames of tribal and religious suspicion against him, polluted sections of the grassroots. They weaponized the newcomer narrative, knowing full well that their real grievance was not loyalty, but loss of control.
This newcomer smear is the virus that threatens the NPP’s claim to be a modern democratic party. It is this elitist thinking — the belief that only those present in 1992 deserve the crown — that has stalled the party’s transformation into a mass movement. Contrast this with the NDC, which, for all its flaws, has always allowed electoral viability and competence to rise without backward loyalty tests.
Prof. Mills was never a PNDC Member neither is John Mahama.In fact, John was an Nkrumaist by inheritance. Because his father was an Nkrumaist. Yet both Mill and John John rose to become presidents- overtaking the big and celebrated names like late P.V. Obeng, Obed Asamoah, Dr. Kwesi Boachwey, the Ahwoi brothers etc. The NDC does not cling to tribal gatekeeping or nostalgic vetting of who suffered in the Rawlings era. They move with the times — and they reward ability.
Why can’t the NPP do the same?
Bawumia’s presence exposes the NPP’s unresolved internal contradictions. On one hand, it wants to be seen as a modern party of data, digitization, and youthful inclusion. On the other, it is still shackled by a house boy versus landlord mentality. A party that claims to reward merit must not punish a man for joining the party late. Especially not when his output, his composure, and his clean track record have brought more swing votes than any of the so-called “elders.”
Those still shaking at Bawumia’s rise need a civic education: democracy does not honour seniority; it honours service, delivery, and the will of the people.
And the people, especially the youth, see Bawumia.
He is the NPP’s most marketable post-Kufuor brand. He is not haunted by corruption scandals, nor is he polarizing in tone or conduct. He carries Northern roots, Islamic background, technocratic strength, and a cross-party appeal no other NPP figure currently commands.
This is what makes him a threat. And this is precisely what makes him the future.
So the question remains: Will the NPP choose to become an open, competitive, mass-based political force? Or will it remain a captured estate where succession is determined by nostalgia, not national need?
Bawumia’s journey is more than a personal quest. It is the NPP’s last litmus test to choose meritocracy over monarchy, and national relevance over internal rot.
If the party fails this test, it will not be Bawumia who loses. It will be the NPP that history will mark as allergic to its own progress.
Come January 31, 2026, the NPP must make a defining choice — not between personalities, but between possibility and paralysis. Let us not mortgage our future to ethnic rants or backward loyalties. The hour calls for clarity, not clan. For boldness, not bitterness. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is not just a candidate — he is the signal of renewal, the face of modern governance, and the hope of a rising generation. Let Ghana win. Let the future speak. Let Bawumia lead.
J. A. Sarbah | PP Firebrand | Voice Of National Conscience
