‘I went in to win’ — Adutwum pushes back on claims he ran for NPP leadership just to raise his profile
There is a version of the story that says Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum entered the NPP presidential race knowing he would not win, that the real goal was visibility, positioning, perhaps even a path to a running mate slot. The former Education Minister has heard that version, and he rejects it entirely.
Speaking on The Pulse on March 18, Dr. Adutwum offered a candid and at times disarmingly straightforward account of why he entered the race, what he hoped to achieve, and why he has no regrets about a contest that ultimately went in favour of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
His starting point was the ideas, specifically, a set of convictions about what Ghana needs that he felt compelled to put before the party and the country, particularly around poverty.
“I have some set of ideas that I thought would benefit my party and would benefit Ghana, and I was prepared to step up and share my ideas with Ghana… not just to talk about poverty alleviation, but about how we can eradicate poverty from the face of this country,” he said.
When the question of motivation was pressed, was this about winning or about building a platform? Dr. Adutwum answered with the kind of bluntness that tends to cut through political spin.
“Who goes into elections not to win? You go in to win, but whatever the delegates tell you, that’s what you abide by. I went in to win. I didn’t win, but I sold myself.”
It is a formulation that acknowledges reality without abandoning principle. He entered to win. The delegates told him they were not ready for his vision, and that someone else was better placed to lead. He has accepted that.
“The delegates told me they were not ready, and they thought there was somebody who could lead us better, and I wholeheartedly support their position. It’s a process, and the process has begun,” he said, adding without hesitation: “I’m happy that the whole system selected my brother, Dr. Bawumia, to lead us, and I wholeheartedly support him.”
On the suggestion that running for the presidency is sometimes a calculated strategy for securing a vice-presidential nomination, Dr. Adutwum was equally direct. That calculation, he argued, makes no sense, because the choice of running mate rests entirely with the flagbearer, and no amount of strategic positioning can substitute for personal chemistry and trust.
“You don’t go into it for running mate slots… it is at the discretion of the eventual winner. You can be the best candidate in the world. If the person doesn’t like you, he doesn’t like you, so what’s the point?”
He also pointed to his record in public service, including his tenure as Education Minister, as evidence that his qualifications require no marketing exercise to establish.
“My record is there. I don’t need to go into a race to market myself as a potential running mate,” he said.
That said, he acknowledged with characteristic honesty that the race did bring its own secondary benefit, one he welcomed even if it was not the primary goal.
“This is my first time. I had to step up and sell myself, so it’s good. My name is out there, and people have got to know me.”
For the NPP, which is now in the early stages of rebuilding after its 2024 electoral loss, Dr. Adutwum’s posture, competitive in the race, gracious in defeat, committed in support, is the kind of disposition the party needs from its members as it prepares to mount a challenge from opposition.
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