The United Kingdom (UK) branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) together with the Young Executives Forum (UK) have raised about one million, two hundred thousand pounds (£1,200,000.00) to support the campaign of the Vice President and presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, ahead of the 7 December 2024 general elections.

The funds raised by the NPP-UK branch and the YEF at their fundraising dinner dance held on Saturday, 22 June 2024 at the Landmark Hotel in Central London, is the highest amount realised by the branch ahead of any elections since the premier branch (NPP-UK) started raising funds to support its parent party, NPP-Ghana.

In 2016, the NPP-UK and the YEF raised about $150,000.00 for the Akufo-Addo campaign, which went ahead to win the 2016 election. In 2020, they raised a total of $450,000.00, and the party again was successful in the 2020 election. The estimated cash and pledges for Dr Bawumia’s campaign from the NPP-UK and YEF projected to be £1.2 million, reflects the strong faith and support of the NPP-UK and YEF for Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and his vision for the country.

In his address at the fundraiser, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia expressed his appreciation to the NPP-UK and the YEF for their exceptional show of support for him, the NPP, and the country as a whole. He indicated that he is committed to prosecuting a spirited election 2024 campaign as the leader and presidential candidate of the NPP to ensure that the party “breaks the 8”.

Upscaling the 2024 campaign

Dr Bawumia, in his address at the fundraising event, pointed out that one of his primary objectives should he be elected as president by the people of Ghana, will be to seek to promote a mindset of possibilities among the citizenry instead of the attitude of impossibilities that appears to dominate the current way of thinking at various levels in the nation.

The NPP leader reported to the party faithful in London that the first round of his 2024 campaign, which started on 29 April and ended on 12 June 2024, has been largely successful and impactful. He indicated that from the month of July, he will be shifting to the 2nd gear and reach the 3rd and 4th gear by November 2024.

“The campaign has started in earnest. We have done a tour of the 16 regions, and we just finished with Ashanti. I would like to thank the Ashanti regional chairman and all the campaign team in Ashanti for the massive show of force that everybody saw when we got there,” Dr Mahamudu Bawumia remarked

“I think going through the 16 regions, it is clear that the narrative is changing. There were people who, six months ago, did not believe that the NPP was going to win the 2024 elections, but I think that after talking about our record and talking about our vision for this country, minds have changed dramatically and NPP is in the position to win the 2024 elections”.

“We are not going to be complacent. We are just beginning. This first tour of the 16 regions is the first gear of the campaign. We are going to go into the second gear in July, the third and fourth gear by November, and I believe at every stage, we are going to up the anthem,” Dr Bawumia further remarked.

Choose accountability

General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Frimpong Koduah, in a brief solidarity message to members of the NPP-UK, said Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the entire NPP are eternally grateful to the NPP-UK, the premier branch, for its contributions to the success of the NPP as a party over the last 32 years.

He noted that the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections are crucial for the development of the country because the NPP has a candidate who is qualified to run for two terms compared with the NDC candidate who can only serve in office for just for one term in the unlikely event that he is elected as president.

“The question is, between a candidate who can run for two terms (8 years) and one who can only run for one term (4 years), who should be given the chance to be president. If we choose Dr Bawumia, he will be forced to deliver because he will have the opportunity to come back to Ghanaians after four years to ask them to renew his mandate,” Justin Frimpong Koduah said.

“The NDC candidate, on the other hand, will not be coming back to Ghanaians to renew his mandate so he will not be accountable. I urge you all to let your friends and family members back home in Ghana know that there are challenges and that these challenges are global in nature. But with the visionary leader, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, as president, Ghana will get to the promised land,” he added.

Unwavering support

Mr Kingsley Adumattah Agyapong (Wofa K), chairman of the NPP-UK branch in his remarks assured the presidential candidate of the NPP, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP-UK’s unwavering support, noting that the NPP-UK believes in his leadership, and his ability to take Ghana to new heights.

“NPP-UK will work tirelessly to ensure we secure every constituency allocated to us in the December 2024 elections. We understand the significance of this task, and we are prepared to rise to the occasion.

“Our dedicated members and effective communicators will be at the forefront championing Dr Bawumia’s policies and advocating for the NPP’s vision across all platforms. Dr Bawumia, your contributions as Vice President have been very remarkable,” Kingsley Adumattah Agyapong said.

“Your involvement in over 30 policies ranging from the introduction of mobile money interoperability to the digitalisation of public services has already begun to reshape Ghana’s socio-economic landscape. Your leadership in these initiatives has proved that you are not just a visionary but also a pragmatic leader capable of delivering tangible results,” Adumattah Agyapong added.

YEF backing

The Chairman of the Young Executives Forum (YEF) Mr Bennard Owusu, on his part, conveyed his heartfelt thanks to the Vice President for taking time off his campaign to be with the NPP-UK branch. He noted that the YEF and the NPP-UK will marshal all his strength and capacity to support Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s spirited effort aimed at winning the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

To the members of the NPP-UK and the Young Executive Forum, Bennard Owusu said he is immensely grateful for the overwhelming support shown by the cash donations and pledges made for the 2024 Bawumia campaign.

“Your generosity and commitment are vital to our shared goal of seeing Dr Bawumia elected as the leader of our nation. Together, we are making history and paving the way for a brighter future for Ghana, ” Bernard Owusu said.

Sompaonline.com/Nana Yaw Boamah