Ahead of its 2028 parliamentary primaries, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has defended its decision to charge prospective parliamentary aspirants GH¢5,000 to declare their intention to contest on the party’s ticket, clarifying that the payment is part of an initial “prospecting exercise and not the formal nomination process.”
The Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Haruna Mohammed, explained that the fee would support the preparatory processes, including screening and training through the party’s school, where prospective candidates would study its ideology, philosophy and political direction.
He emphasised that the exercise is distinct from opening nominations, insisting that the party is first creating an opportunity to identify and prepare individuals interested in representing it in the 276 constituencies.
“We are telling the whole world that we are a consecutive party. We have other sister parties across the globe. We learn from best practices. The NPP has always been the pacesetter of democracy in Ghana. So, in this particular instance, we are giving the opportunity to people who have the decisions.”
Haruna Mohammed
Mr Mohammed explained that the NPP intends to equip prospective candidates with the knowledge and understanding required before they enter the formal selection process. He indicated that after the initial prospecting and training stages, the party would proceed to open nominations, at which point interested members would purchase the prescribed nomination forms.
Addressing concerns that the GH¢5,000 charge could undermine the party’s stated objective of reducing the influence of money in candidate selection, the Deputy General Secretary disputed the suggestion. He distinguished between the cost of participating in the preparatory exercise and the financial influence that can determine who wins an internal election.
Selection of the Right Candidates For The 2028 Elections
According to him, the party’s intention is to prioritise candidates that “will be well prepared” to secure parliamentary seats over those whose advantage rests primarily on financial resources. He cited the NPP’s previous internal elections, noting that the party had not distributed T-shirts, money or other material inducements to influence voting outcomes.
“And those who have been prospected or going through the prospected process will be treated in a manner that is being in line with the nominations that have been open.”
Haruna Mohammed
Furthermore, Mr Mohammed asserted that requiring payment before applicants enter their details on the portal would help the party identify individuals who have made a serious decision to contest. He suggested that making registration entirely free could attract “people who are not even sure of contesting” and allow others to “use this to do a test play.”
Mr Mohammed also rejected attempts to link the National Chairman’s earlier comments about the consequences of intense parliamentary primaries to the party’s newly announced prospecting process for prospective candidates. He explained that John Boadu’s remarks were made during his campaign for the national chairmanship, while the current arrangement is a separate decision taken by the National Council.
He also disputed the suggestion that the GH¢5,000 declaration fee contradicted the party’s intention to reduce monetisation in its internal elections. According to him, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s position concerned limiting the influence of financial resources in determining electoral outcomes, not eliminating every payment associated with party processes.
The Deputy General Secretary reiterated that the NPP intends to adopt a different approach to its parliamentary selection ahead of the 2028 elections, with preparation and screening preceding the formal nomination exercise.
NPP Rules Out Changes to Current Minority Leadership
Despite speculation about possible changes to its parliamentary leadership, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) affirmed that it has no plans to alter the composition of its current Minority leadership, insisting that no such proposal has been presented for consideration.
The party’s Deputy General Secretary, Haruna Mohammed reaffirmed the party’s confidence in the existing leadership under Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
“We have a solid minority bench. And the minority bench we have today, there is no anything that has come up, not a petition, not anything that has come up for questioning a discussion of pushing their fence.”
Haruna Mohammed
The Deputy General Secretary identified Honourable Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin as the Minority Leader, Honourable Patricia Appiagyei as his Deputy, Honourable Frank Annoh-Dompreh as the Minority Chief Whip and Honourable Jerry Ahmed Shaib as the Deputy Minority Chief Whip, describing the leadership team as firmly grounded in its work.
Mr Mohammed further clarified that the NPP has neither initiated discussions nor taken a decision to change the Minority leadership. He stressed that any future consideration of such a matter would have to proceed through the party’s established structures and constitutional provisions.
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