The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) will today hold a ballot draw to determine the positions of its five presidential aspirants on the party’s primary election ballot, as preparations intensify ahead of the January 31, 2026 vote to choose its next flagbearer.
The National Elections Committee is scheduled to meet with the aspirants — or their designated representatives — at party headquarters in Accra, where the draw will be conducted under the supervision of party officials.
“All candidates who have met the guidelines, as issued on July 29, and complied with them, will be balloting today. Nobody is going to be excused from any specific guideline of the party,” said Haruna Mohammed, Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, during a briefing on Thursday.
Mr. Mohammed reiterated that the process is grounded in the party’s constitution and that strict adherence is expected from all aspirants. “These guidelines are grounded in the constitution, and every member who wants to lead the party into the 2028 elections must abide by it,” he said.
The five candidates vying to lead the party into the 2028 general election include Ghana’s current Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, outspoken legislator Kennedy Agyapong, Agriculture Minister Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong.
Mr. Agyepong’s campaign has recently been the subject of internal party debate, following concerns over a GH₵4 million development fee. Paul Abdul Rahman Issah Dowuona, spokesperson for Mr. Agyepong’s campaign, said the candidate remains fully committed to the race despite expressing reservations about the controversial fee.
“At vetting, he was asked, and he made his position clear,” Mr. Dowuona said. “His issue has always been that it [the fee] shouldn’t be a prerequisite for contesting the flagbearership of the party. However, he remains willing to support the party’s development through other means.”
Party officials say today’s draw will determine the order in which candidates will appear on the ballot paper, a symbolic but often politically strategic positioning in internal contests.
