NPP flagbearer race not skewed toward any candidate- Justin Kodua

By Emmanuella Sarfo-Ntow June 19, 2025

General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, has dismissed allegations that the party’s 2026 presidential primaries have been deliberately structured to favour former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia or any other specific candidate.

His response comes amid growing speculation from some party members and political observers suggesting that the chosen timeline and internal arrangements may give an undue advantage to the current Vice President, who is widely expected to contest.

The NPP has officially set January 31, 2026, as the date for its presidential primaries—a decision approved by the party’s National Council, following recommendations from its Constitution Review Committee.

Speaking during an interview on Channel One TV on Wednesday, June 18, Mr. Kodua rejected the claims as unfounded.

“I will be very surprised if anyone thinks that an election that is yet to be conducted will favour a particular candidate,” he remarked, adding that the party’s commitment to democratic processes has remained consistent over the years.”

He further defended the party’s internal electoral system, pointing to the consistency and stability of leadership across various levels as evidence of fairness.

“If you have monitored our electoral history even from 1992, 1996 to 2000, at every election — from national through to polling stations — about 70%, sometimes even 80%, of current executives retain their positions,” he said.

Addressing concerns about the sequence of internal elections, Mr. Kodua maintained that the structure has no inherent bias.

“The fact that you may even start from a polling station to national or national to a polling station does not make it skewed towards a particular person. Some current executives will continue to be executives,” he concluded.