Flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed suggestions that the party selects its leaders based on tribal or regional considerations, emphasizing that the NPP’s political tradition has never been rooted in ethnicity.

Speaking at Lapaz in Accra on October 3, as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region ahead of the party’s January 31 presidential primaries, Dr. Bawumia described the tribal narrative surrounding the race as unfounded and contrary to the NPP’s history.

“For this tribal propaganda, I want to make it clear that we don’t vote on tribal lines. It is not part of our tradition,” he stated.

Dr. Bawumia recounted the origins of the NPP tradition, tracing it to 1957, when the Avoidance of Discrimination Act led to the formation of the United Party (UP) — a coalition of regional political groups united to oppose Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s Convention People’s Party (CPP).

He noted that after the UP’s formation, the Northern People’s Party (NPP), led by S.D. Dombo, held the largest number of seats in Parliament (13), while Dr. K.A. Busia’s Ghana Congress Party secured only one seat. Despite this, Dr. Busia was chosen to lead the UP, demonstrating the spirit of unity and merit that underpins the NPP’s political heritage.

“Normally, Dombo should have been the leader of the UP, but the Northern People’s Party agreed for Busia to lead because they saw him as the one who could help the UP attain political power,” Dr. Bawumia explained.

The Vice President’s remarks come amid ongoing debates about regional balance and representation within the NPP as the flagbearer contest intensifies.