Former Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on party faithful to forgive one another, rebuild trust and focus on hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general elections.
Speaking at the National Thanksgiving Service held on Sunday, February 15, 2026, Dr. Bawumia said the gathering was a moment of reflection and gratitude to God following what he described as a successful internal electoral process.
“We gather here today to give thanks to Almighty God for bringing us to the end of a chapter in our story of rebuilding and reform as a political party,” he said. “Our National Conference was a success, and our flagbearership election was peaceful and incident-free. Without God’s arms wrapped around us, we would not have been successful.”
The Thanksgiving Service, he stressed, was not about personal ambition but about recommitting to a higher national cause.
“Today’s Thanksgiving Service is not a celebration of personal ambition. For me, it is a moment to join you all in reflection, prayer and recommitment to a higher cause — the cause of contributing to the building of a nation that is truly great and strong,” Dr. Bawumia stated.
Call for Forgiveness and Healing
Acknowledging the tensions that often accompany internal party contests, Dr. Bawumia urged members to let go of grievances and work toward unity.
“We have been through a grueling election cycle, one that had the potential to cause wounds and strain relationships,” he said. “Elections can leave scars that may not show on the surface but can cut deep.”
Quoting from the Bible, he referenced Matthew 5:39–44, noting that Christians are called to respond to provocation with patience and grace rather than retaliation.
On reconciliation, he appealed directly to party members: “From the bottom of my heart, I want to ask all of us to forgive one another for some of the unpalatable things we may have said against each other during this election cycle.”
While acknowledging that healing was still ongoing, he commended members who had already taken steps to mend relationships. “Though the exercise of healing is not yet complete, I believe we have started well,” he said.
Focus on Shared Values
Dr. Bawumia emphasized that unity would require honesty and open dialogue.
“Healing will not come from silence. It will come from speaking about what binds us together and working toward it as one family,” he said. “We have more that unites us than divides us.”
He urged party faithful to put aside “personal grudges, internal suspicions and factional lines” and return to the values that built the party — “service, competence, respect for institutions and belief in the Ghanaian people.”
Road to 2028
Looking ahead to the next general election, Dr. Bawumia underscored the need for discipline and grassroots engagement.
“Victory in 2028 will not be gifted to us. It must be earned — constituency by constituency, household by household — with humility and purpose,” he declared.
He announced plans for a nationwide Thank You Tour to acknowledge the efforts of party members and revealed that the party would soon begin reorganizing its structures and refining its policy proposals.
“We are moving swiftly to reorganize the party’s policy structures, fine-tune our alternative policy proposals and market them to the good people of Ghana in the shortest possible time,” he said.
Ghana Above Party
In a passionate conclusion, Dr. Bawumia stressed that national interest must supersede partisan considerations.
“Ghana is bigger than any political party. Our democracy must never be reduced to vengeance,” he said.
“There is serious work to be done — the kind of work that requires patience, listening, learning and showing up even when the applause is absent; the kind of work that places country before comfort and duty before ego.
