By Daniel Bampoe
Despite a last-minute removal of his flyers from the conference venue by unknown people, former Vice President and 2024 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, emerged as the undisputed center of attention at the party’s National Delegates’ Conference held over the weekend at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
The conference, convened to chart a reform path for the NPP after its electoral defeat in 2024, turned into a showcase of Bawumia’s enduring popularity within the party base.
This was despite internal tensions over campaign imagery, which resulted in the removal of promotional banners bearing his image ahead of the event.
Controversy Over Banners and Flyers
A day before the conference, massive banners and flyers featuring the portraits of the NPP’s founding and past leadership — including Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia and his Vice Joe Appiah, President John Agyekum Kufuor and the late Vice President Aliu Mahama, as well as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia — were mounted from Shiashie through Madina to the conference venue.
The display, which was also printed in the official conference booklet, was intended to celebrate the party’s leadership legacy and instill a sense of continuity among delegates.
However, some of Bawumia’s opponents within the party raised concerns that his banners could be interpreted as a subtle campaign move — even though the party had issued a strict no-campaign directive for the event.
Party insiders revealed that following the concerns raised, a directive was issued to remove Bawumia’s standalone flyers and banners, while those of other past and present leaders were left untouched.
Curiously, though, his image remained in the conference brochure that were distributed to all attendees.
The move sparked debate among attendees and observers, with some questioning the fairness of the decision and others viewing it as a calculated political move to reduce his visibility.
A Grand Entrance That Overshadowed the Controversy
Despite the banner controversy, Bawumia’s entry onto the conference grounds dramatically shifted the mood.
Supporters by his wife Hajia Samira Bawumia, MPs, constituency executives, and party elders, his arrival sent the stadium into a frenzy.
Delegates and youth supporters erupted into loud chants of “It’s possible!”, the slogan he popularized during his 2024 presidential bid.
The excitement was so intense that the event momentarily came to a standstill. All eyes turned to the VIP section, where Bawumia was seated alongside his former opponents, including Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Kennedy Agyapong, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Francis Addai-Nimoh, Boakye Agyarko, and Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum. Each of them respectfully approached Dr Bawumia to exchange pleasantries, a moment that did not go unnoticed by party faithful.
When he was invited to deliver his remarks, the atmosphere reached a crescendo. Delegates rose to their feet, chanting his name and waving flags as he approached the podium — a show of force that many interpreted as a strong indication of his continued dominance within the party, despite not holding an active campaign.
A Message of Unity Amid Internal Rivalries
In his address, Dr. Bawumia struck a balanced tone — exuding confidence while calling for calm and unity.
He warned against the factional attacks and indiscipline that marred the 2024 campaign and urged party members to resist repeating those mistakes.
“Too often, when we are yet to choose leaders, indiscipline, unacceptable language, and unpardonable behaviour become the order of the day,” he cautioned.
“We experienced it in the 2024 campaign, and we should not let it happen again.”
He called on party members to stop attacking one another and instead direct their energy toward challenging the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), which he accuse
