The Fourth Republic of Ghana has witnessed the two political forces exiting the seat of government at the end of their second term of office. Almost every Ghanaian sees it as a trend since the return to the constitutional rule in the year 1992 and believes that will happen all the time. That gives hope to opposition party at the end of the second term of the ruling party. Have we analyzed the reason for such trend?

The NDC lost the 2000 general elections although they presented the then sitting Vice President as the party’s candidate. Could we say that they suffered from internal wranglings due to perceived lack of internal democracy in the party which gave birth to the Goosie Tano’s National Reform Party (NRP)? The formation of NRP greatly affected the electoral fortunes of the Jerry Rawlings’ NDC which had incumbency advantages over the New Patriotic Party. Could we attribute the victory of the NPP to the inter wrangling in the NDC then? Or, the NPP won the run-off due to the opposition parties joint forces against the ruling party (NDC)?

When John Agyekum Kufuor was exiting power in the year 2008, the NPP could not survive the defeat of that general elections. Could we say that Ghanaians decide to change the party but not the personality? Could it be a decision to vote out the ruling party no matter the person that leads it after the eight year term of office? The NPP presented Nana Akufo-Addo and the finest-brain Mahamudu Bawumia, but they could not secure victory for the party even though the NPP led in the first round of voting.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by John Dramani Mahama suffered a painful defeat in 2016 after the party had served two terms in office. John Mahama who was an incumbent president could not secure victory upon all the resources and advantage he had over the opposition party’s candidate. Could it be a reason that Ghanaians were fed up with the NDC after eight years in office?

Now that the NPP wants to break the eight-year jinx of political rule in the modern history of the Fourth Republic of Ghana, they need a candidate who is a political colossus in the current political dispensation. They must inadvertently build a solid candidate who would be easily bought by the Ghanaian people. Among all the presidential hopefuls in the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia possesses all the qualities the party needs to break the eight.

Since the last fifteen years, he has distinguished himself well within and without. He is an institution in Ghanaian politics and the brand that the NDC fears.

He is the finest brain with much influence in our political disposition. The NPP cannot afford to lose such a gem as the history must be made in 2024. Dr Bawumia’s stature in the NPP and Ghana at the moment, makes him stand out as the best man to break the eight.

It is an undeniable fact that, Bawumia could easily face-off with the NDC and thwart their effort in the 2024 general elections.