A member of the Bono Regional Council of Elders of Ghana's New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Yaw Dabie Appiah Mensah, has called on the party's flagbearer, Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to ensure that the 2028 parliamentary primaries are free from vote buying, gift sharing, and favouritism. According to Mr. Mensah, the party's goal of winning and regaining political power in Election 2028 can be achieved if winnable parliamentary candidates are elected, regardless of their financial status.
Mr. Mensah, 75, and popularly known in political circles as “Orga,” congratulated the newly elected national executives of the NPP. He reminded them that their elections went beyond mere political positions, stressing that they were elected to identify and tackle the challenges that contributed to the NPP’s humiliating defeat in Election 2024.
As a former organiser of the NPP in the then Brong-Ahafo Region, Mr. Mensah stressed that vote buying and favouritism in successive NPP parliamentary primaries remained major setbacks that ought to be tackled head-on. He made these comments in an interview with the media in Sunyani, Ghana.
Mr. Mensah stated that Bawumia and his newly elected national, regional, and constituency executives must ensure that the NPP presents the choice of the electorate as parliamentary candidates in Election 2028, and not those who are able to influence delegates to vote for them simply because of their wealth.
Mr. Mensah expressed high hopes in the newly elected NPP national executives, with the conviction that they, together with Alhaji Dr. Bawumia, can wrestle political power from the NDC. He also expressed optimism that the party would bring everyone on board for an effective electioneering campaign toward victory in 2028.
Mr. Mensah called on the various candidates who contested but lost the national, regional, and constituency positions to allow the supreme interest of the NPP to override their personal political ambitions and contribute their quota toward making the party appealing, especially to floating voters.
By tackling these challenges, the NPP aims to present strong candidates who can help the party achieve its goal of winning Election 2028. Mr. Mensah's comments reflect the concerns of many within the party about the need for reforms in the parliamentary primaries process.
Key points
- Mr. Yaw Dabie Appiah Mensah urges Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to tackle vote buying and favouritism in the 2028 NPP parliamentary primaries.
- The NPP aims to win and regain political power in Election 2028 by presenting winnable parliamentary candidates.
- Mr. Mensah expresses high hopes in the newly elected NPP national executives and their ability to work with Alhaji Dr. Bawumia to achieve victory.
