Former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has called on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to rethink the tenor of its presidential primaries, cautioning that the party risks prioritizing popularity and procedural eligibility over genuine leadership.
In an interview Monday on JoyNews' PM Express, the long-serving legislator warned that the stakes in the upcoming 2026 presidential race are too high for the party to be swayed by superficial metrics.
“People are stepping forward simply because they meet the eligibility criteria under the party or national constitution,” he noted. “But that alone should not be the basis for selecting the next leader of this country.”
His comments came in response to concerns raised by the program’s host, Evans Mensah, about the party’s revised electoral college structure. While the expanded delegate base has broadened participation, it may also, critics say, amplify the influence of well-financed candidates able to sway votes through monetary inducements.
Mr.Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu’s remarks reflect broader anxieties within the NPP over what some see as a drift away from principle-driven politics toward transactional campaigning. “We are not just looking for a flagbearer,” he said. “We are looking for a president—a true presidential candidate.”
To underscore his point, the former Suame MP referenced a critical moment in party history. In 2007, as 17 aspirants competed to succeed then-President John Agyekum Kufuor, party elder Kwame Pianim warned against a narrow focus on who could secure the flagbearer title.
“Pianim said, and I quote, ‘As for the flagbearership, any idiot could become the flagbearer,’” Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu recalled. “What matters is that we find someone with the capacity, vision, and discipline to become president.”
As internal contests heat up, the NPP—facing the challenge of maintaining its electoral appeal amid economic headwinds—is under pressure to ensure that its nominee is more than a symbolic standard-bearer. The party must choose, he implied, not just a winner of a delegate vote, but a leader capable of governing a complex and evolving nation.
The former Majority Leader did not name any specific candidate but made clear that the party’s credibility, and potentially the country’s trajectory, hinge on the decision ahead.
