“No grudges, no retaliation.” That, according to Dennis Miracles Aboagye, aide to New Patriotic Party flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, defined the Vice President’s response to attacks during the party’s internal contest.
Speaking on Channel1 TV on Sunday, Mr Aboagye said Dr Bawumia entered the race fully aware that competition would involve harsh words, exaggerations, and claims not necessarily rooted in truth.
“Once he gets into a competition, people would come at him, not necessarily with things that they mean or things that are true,” he said.
According to him, Dr Bawumia understood that in politics, some contenders believe attacks are the fastest way to gain advantage.
“Some people feel that when they are in competition with you, the best way they can outrun you is to throw that at you,” he noted.
But Mr Aboagye stressed that the NPP flagbearer refused to internalise the attacks, making reconciliation unnecessary.
“He doesn’t take it to heart, and once the victim is not taking these things to heart, then there’s nothing like an issue for there to be a reconciliation,” he said.
He said Dr Bawumia’s posture since his victory shows that campaign rhetoric has been put aside.
“This morning, Dr Bawumia is leading the party irrespective of what you said against him, whether negative or otherwise, during the campaign,” he stated.
“None of those things matters this morning.”
Mr Aboagye also suggested that many of the criticisms levelled against Dr Bawumia were tactical rather than deeply held beliefs.
“We are sure, and we know, that most of the things that the other competitors may have said against him are not things that they meant,” he said.
“They were things that they were hoping delegates will latch on and use it to vote against Dr Bawumia.”
He pointed to accusations made during the 2024 election cycle, in which critics blamed Dr Bawumia for conceding early before the Electoral Commission officially declared the results.
“One of the key things that our opponent used against us was that he conceded before the EC declared,” he recalled.
“They said if it were them, they would not have done that, and that it led to the loss of the NPP.”
However, he argued that events after the flagbearer election exposed the inconsistency of that argument.
“Yesterday, you saw all of them concede before the EC declared,” he said. “That means that what they were saying at the time is not something that they truly meant.”
He said this reinforced Dr Bawumia’s belief that political attacks should not be taken personally.
“So if you know people will say things that they don’t truly mean against you, you don’t take it to heart,” he added.
Mr Aboagye said Dr Bawumia has moved on completely and bears no resentment. “Dr Bawumia has taken nothing to heart,” he said.
He added that the flag bearer’s camp is also extending an olive branch to all who may feel hurt by the campaign.
“From our side also, we are saying that if in the course of the campaign we may have said something, we may have done something that may have stepped on your toes, affected you anyway, we apologise,” he said.
He described the NPP as a family with a shared destiny. “We are one family. We are one blood. We are one people. We are together,” he said.
“Now let’s execute a common goal.”
Dr Bawumia was declared the winner of the New Patriotic Party flagbearer race by the Electoral Commission after securing 56.48 per cent of the total votes cast, earning him the party’s slot for the 2028 general elections.
His closest contender, former Assin Central Member of Parliament Kennedy Agyapong, placed second with 46,554 votes, representing 23.76 per cent.
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