Kofi Bentil clashes with Martin Kpebu over Bawumia’s 2028 chances

The IMANI Vice President says age is no barrier in politics.

Private legal practitioner Kofi Bentil has taken on fellow lawyer Martin Kpebu over comments dismissing Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s chances in the 2028 presidential elections. The exchange occurred on TV3’s Key Points programme on Saturday, September 27, 2025.

Martin Kpebu had argued that Bawumia’s heavy defeat in the 2024 polls makes it nearly impossible for him to win in 2028, suggesting the former Vice President would only have a realistic chance in 2032, though even then age could count against him.

“But I’m surprised that they say young people in the NPP prefer Bawumia. He doesn’t stand a chance in 2028… It’s 1.6 million votes. You can’t wipe out 1.6 million votes in a four-year cycle unless the NDC misrules to a level beyond even what Akufo-Addo did.

We are not going to sit down for that. What Akufo-Addo did was the last. There’s still a lot of anger in the system. You see why John Mahama’s approval rating is coming down. What Akufo-Addo did to us, we won’t sit down for that to happen again,” Kpebu stated.

His comments, however, drew a sharp rebuttal from Kofi Bentil, who doubles as Vice President of IMANI Africa and was also a panellist on the show.

Bentil questioned Kpebu’s authority in declaring that Bawumia had no chance, insisting that global democratic trends prove age is not a disqualifying factor.

“Well, let me add this. You let my brother Martin go on and on. Look, on this matter, listen to me, he is so wrong, it is not salvageable. He can’t be helped. Listen, there was a trend in America, and America is a very good place to look at when it comes to democratic trends.

Bill Clinton was 45 or 47 when he became president, with Al Gore as vice president at 44. In US history, Clinton, who many doubted, balanced the budget and stabilised the economy. Then came George Bush, followed by Barack Obama, also in his 40s. People thought America would always go for young leaders.

But guess what? Donald Trump, who is 79 today, came in almost a decade later and became one of the most impactful presidents in US history, for right or wrong. The point is this: age is just a number. Trump wiped the floor with younger contenders. So, Martin has no basis to talk about age politics,” he argued.

He went further to stress that voters in today’s Ghana are driven by competence rather than age.

“Who are you? At the end of the day, Ghanaians will decide based on who they believe can deliver. That generation doesn’t revere anything. They don’t respect age or tradition. They look at what’s on the ground and say, what’s good for me? If someone is 100 years old and can deliver, they’ll vote for him. Age is nothing,” he added.