Tano North MP defends Bawumia: “One loss doesn’t define a leader”

Member of Parliament for Tano North, Gideon Boako, has pushed back against suggestions that former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia should be disqualified from leading the New Patriotic Party (NPP) again due to his loss in the 2024 presidential election.

Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, August 28, Mr. Boako who also serves as Technical Advisor and Spokesperson to Dr. Bawumia, argued that electoral defeat is not the end of a political career and should not be used to judge one’s capacity to lead.

“The downfall of a man is never the end of his life. He is not the first to attempt the presidential seat and lose it. Others tried, they lost, they persevered with tenacity, and they were able to make it,” he said.

He cited the political journeys of Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor, John Evans Atta Mills, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and John Dramani Mahama as examples of leaders who experienced electoral defeats before ultimately ascending to the presidency.

“Kufuor tried once, twice and made it, Akufo-Addo tried multiple times and made it, Mills tried multiple times and made it, John Mahama also tried multiple times and made it, why should he sit back?

“God will be on his side. He will try again, and he can make it such that he can deliver to Ghana what he thinks God has given him,” he stated.

Mr. Boako’s comments come in response to arguments from some factions within the NPP, particularly those backing rival flagbearer hopefuls who claim that Dr. Bawumia’s 2024 loss makes him an unviable candidate for 2028.

But according to Mr. Boako, a single electoral setback should not determine the future of a political leader.