The New Patriotic Party’s flagbearer for the 2024 presidential election, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has reached out to his fellow contenders from the party’s primaries, asking them to join him on a nationwide Thank You Tour.

The initiative is designed to promote togetherness within the party.

Having garnered about 61.43% of the vote, Dr. Bawumia emerged as the party’s choice over rivals Kennedy Agyapong, former Agriculture Minister Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and ex-Mampong legislator Francis Addai-Nimoh.

At the tour’s official unveiling at the party’s Accra headquarters on Wednesday, April 23, Dr. Bawumia explained that including his former challengers in the tour is a strategic departure from past practices and part of a broader mission to consolidate party unity.

“Because I want us to be united, that is why I am departing from the normal Thank You Tour. Normally, the presidential candidate just goes ahead to do the thank you tour. But I am doing it different this time, and it is because I want unity.”

“That is why I have said that I want to go with the party and also to invite my former contestants in the primaries to come, and we will all go and do the Thank You Tour together.”

Dr. Bawumia emphasized that showing unity within the party would present a powerful message of strength as the NPP prepares for the crucial 2024 general elections.

“So that we all show a united front for the party then we can build on it going forward.”

He also stressed that the party’s focus should now shift from internal rivalries to the broader objective of winning the national elections.

“It is not time for primaries and it is not about winning a primary. What we are doing is building a party machinery that can win the general election. That is what we should be doing, not to win a primary. If you win the primary and cannot win the general election, then it is a useless victory,” he stated.

The Thank You Tour will take Dr. Bawumia and other senior party members across all 16 regions, where they will thank delegates, supporters, and stakeholders, while also reinforcing the NPP’s key campaign messages.