The flag bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has said the party will not wait to win power before deciding how to govern.
Consequently, he said, the party has begun drawing up its next government’s programme, nearly three years ahead of the 2028 general election.
He added that policy committees had already been constituted and were engaging various stakeholders to shape the party’s proposed 2029 governance programme as part of an early effort to translate lessons from the NPP’s 2024 defeat into a new policy direction.
Dr Bawumia disclosed this at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference in Kumasi last Saturday, where delegates also elected a new national executive team to steer the party towards the 2028 election.
“We will not wait till after the campaign to start thinking about how to govern.
The work is already underway,” he said.
Lessons
Dr Bawumia said the early policy work was informed by extensive engagements with Ghanaians and the NPP’s grassroots since the 2024 election.
“We have listened. We have listened to Ghanaians in the markets, on the streets, on the farms, in the offices and on campuses.
We have listened to our own members at the grassroots.
And we have learnt some valuable lessons,” he said.
He said the lessons covered how the party organised and communicated, how it treated its grassroots supporters, and importantly, how it formulated government policies.
He stressed that good intentions had to be matched by evidence, careful policy design and consultation with the people who would be affected by such policies.
According to him, those lessons were already reflected in the restructuring of the party and its preparations for the next election.
NDC challenged
Dr Bawumia used the conference to challenge the government over what he described as failures to deliver on key campaign promises.
He said the NDC’s 24-hour economy and its “one job, three shifts” model had yet to deliver the jobs promised to young graduates and artisans.
He also cited the proposed Women’s Development Bank, electricity tariffs, transportation and rent as areas where he said the government had failed to meet public expectations.
The former Vice-President further criticised the government’s handling of the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme, which he said had supported the stability of the cedi.
He also accused the government of allowing programmes inherited from the NPP, including Agenda 111 and aspects of the Free Senior High School programme, to suffer setbacks.
On illegal mining, Dr Bawumia said the galamsey menace had worsened despite earlier promises by the NDC to deal with it.
He also accused the government of what he described as the “weaponisation of state power”, and called for equal application of the law.
“When the NPP returns to government, which Insha Allah we will, there will be one standard of justice for all,” he said.
Dr Bawumia similarly urged the new leadership to maintain unity and discipline, focus on holding the government to account and give Ghanaians a reason to believe in the NPP again.
“We came to Kumasi as a party that has listened and learnt. Let us leave Kumasi as a party that is united and ready,” he said.
Democracy
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, reinforced the call for a stronger and more united party, saying the NPP’s 2028 campaign should go beyond the pursuit of political power.
He said the party must make the election a broader campaign to protect democratic freedoms and restore public confidence in state institutions.
“Victory is not about jobs for ourselves. It is survival,” he declared.
Mr Afenyo-Markin accused the government of using state power against critics, and called for equal justice and protection of freedom of expression.
He urged the NPP to use its period in opposition to reconnect with Ghanaians, including critics and civil society organisations.
Mr Afenyo-Markin urged the new executives and defeated aspirants to put the internal contest behind them and unite for the task ahead.
“Let the quarrels end here. Let the work begin here,” he said.
