Records Bawumia would break if he becomes president on January 7, 2025

The Flagbearer of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is expected to outline the vision for his presidential bid tomorrow, Wednesday, February 7, 2024.

As Ghanaians await Dr Bawumia, the current Vice President of Ghana, to outline ‘his own vision’ as he puts it, to get Ghana out of the current economic quagmire and lead the country to the dreamland, many are still struggling to grasp the full reason for him aiming to take over the presidency.

The vice president has already broken several records by becoming the presidential candidate of the NPP including:

The first northerner to lead the NPP

The NPP, a party many scholars say was established in Asanteman, is for the first time being led by a northerner, with Dr Bawumia being its flagbearer.

The party, which draws its identity from the Danquah-Dombo-Busia Tradition, the oldest surviving political tradition in Ghana that dates as far back as 1947, has also been led by the Danquah and Busia heritage of the party, long before the election of the current vice president.

All flagbearers of the NPP since the inception of the 4th republic of Ghana, including Albert Adu Boahen: (the pioneer flagbearer, 1992); John Agyekum Kufuor (1996, 2000 and 2004); and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020), have been from either the Danquah or Busia factions of the NPP tradition, which consist of political parties from the southern part of Ghana that became part of the NPP tradition.

Dr Bawumia is the only Dombo, the part of the NPP tradition which stems from political parties from the northern part of Ghana, to lead it.

The first Muslim to lead any of the 2 dominant political parties of the 4th Republic

Again, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the only Muslim to become the flagbearer of the two parties that have formed governments in Ghana since the inception of the 4th republic; the NPP and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

With Christianity being the dominant religious group in Ghana, which has over 70 percent of the country’s population and about 15 percent Muslim population, the two leading political parties have ‘conveniently’ mostly chosen Christians to lead them.

All the flagbearers the NPP has had before now: Albert Adu Boahen, John Agyekum Kufuor, and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, are all Christians.

The NDC has had the late Jerry John Rawlings (1992, 1996); the late Prof John Evans Atta Mills (2000, 2004, 2008) and John Dramani Mahama (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024) – all Christians, leading it as flagbearers.

The first vice president to become the presidential candidate of the NPP

Unlike the NDC which has had the likes of the late Prof Atta Mills and John Mahama rising from the vice president position to become presidential candidates, the NPP has never had that.

None of the flagbearers the NPP has had has ever been a vice president before, except Dr. Bawumia.

Also, aside from leading the NPP to win power for an unprecedented third team – ‘Break the 8’ – Dr. Bawumia would be setting a number of records for the presidency in Ghana’s politics.

They include:

The first Muslim President of Ghana

As pointed out earlier, Dr Bawumia is the first Muslim to lead the two political parties that have formed governments in the 4th Republic of Ghana.

Ghana has had five presidents since the inception of the 4th Republic: the late Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, the late Prof John Evans Atta Mills, John Dramani Mahama and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, all of whom are Christians.

If Dr Bawumia becomes the president of Ghana on January 7, 2025, he will become the first Muslim leader of Ghana in this current republic.

In fact, Dr Bawumia is likely to be the first Muslim leader of Ghana since the country’s independence on March 6, 1957, as the late Dr Hilla Limann, the country’s president between 1979 and 1981, was never known publicly to have ever professed his faith.

The first vice president to become president in the NPP

Also as pointed out earlier, Dr Bawumia is the first vice president to become the presidential candidate of the NPP.

If he wins the 2024 presidential elections, he will become the first vice president produced from the NPP to become a substantive president in Ghana.

The NDC has had the likes of the late Prof Mills and Mahama rising from the vice president positions to becoming president, but not the NPP.

Other records that would be broken

The NPP flagbearer would not be the only person breaking records if he becomes president.

His wife, Second Lady Samira Bawumia would also set some records.

The first Muslim First Lady Ghana has had:

Samira Bawumia would become the first Muslim First Lady Ghana has had in the 4th republic if her husband wins the 2024 elections.

All the second ladies Ghana has had: Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (the wife of the late JJ Rawlings); the late Theresa Kufuor (wife of J.A. Kufour); Naadu Mills (the wife of the late Prof Mills); Lordina Mahama (the wife of John Mahama); and Rebecca Akufo-Addo (the wife of President Akufo-Addo), are all Christians.

The first First Lady with northern heritage:

Samira Bawumia would also be the first, First Lady who hails from the northern part of Ghana.

All the first ladies Ghana has had, including the current one, are from the southern part of the country.