Akufo-Addo urges Bawumia to unite NPP after landslide primary victory

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the newly elected flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to lead the party with focus and purpose following his decisive victory in the presidential primary held on Saturday, January 31.

Speaking shortly after the Electoral Commission’s final declaration, Mr Akufo-Addo praised the character and integrity of his former deputy, describing him as loyal to the party’s ideals and well-positioned to lead the NPP into the 2028 general elections.

“I know his mind, and I know his character. He is loyal to party principles,” the former president said, while calling on Dr Bawumia to provide unifying leadership after a fiercely contested primary.

In his victory speech, Dr Bawumia struck a conciliatory tone, pledging to run an inclusive campaign and to reach out to supporters of his main rivals, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong and Dr Bryan Acheampong.

He faces the immediate task of consolidating the close to 43 per cent of votes garnered by his opponents as he positions himself to “break the cycle” in the 2028 elections.

As the NPP’s standard-bearer, Dr Bawumia is also expected to craft a manifesto that blends the party’s long-standing Danquah–Busia–Dombo traditions with the digital-driven economic agenda he championed as Vice President.

Dr Bawumia secured 110,643 votes, representing 56.48 per cent of the total valid votes cast, overcoming a strong challenge from grassroots favourite Kennedy Ohene Agyapong. His victory was backed by broad support from the party’s expanded delegate college.

The 2026 primary was the first conducted under the NPP’s expanded voter album, which increased the number of eligible delegates to over 211,849. The reform, approved at the July 2025 National Annual Delegates Conference, aimed to make the flagbearer selection process more inclusive and reduce localized influence.

Voting took place at 333 polling centres across all 275 constituencies. Despite isolated reports of minor incidents, the exercise was widely praised by local and international observers for its transparency and the professional conduct of security personnel, particularly the Ghana Police Service.