The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has warned all flagbearer aspirants that the Police are in charge of providing security for the internal elections.
The party warned against the use of private security during the polls.
The directive was contained in a high-level briefing submitted by the Chairman of the Elections Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, to the National Executive Committee (NEC) on Friday, January 30, 2026.
The move is designed to ensure a peaceful environment for the election of a flagbearer to lead the party in the 2028 general elections.
In a move to prevent the militarisation of polling centres and avoid institutional friction, the Committee clarified that the state security apparatus has been granted absolute authority over the D-Day proceedings.
This followed concerns raised during previous internal elections regarding the presence of private ‘macho men’, vigilantes and unauthorised security details.
“We have informed all party faithful, sympathisers, stakeholders, the Presidential Candidates, and the public that the Ghana Police Service has been granted exclusive jurisdiction over the D-day election security,” the Committee stated. “No private or unauthorised security arrangements will be permitted at any voting centre.”
The NPP is going to the polls today, Saturday, January 31, to elect a flagbearer as part of the preparations for the 2028 general elections.
Five aspirants are contesting in the internal elections.
They are former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, former Lawmaker for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Former Agric Minister Dr Bryan Acheampong and former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.
Polls are expected to open at 7 Am and close at 4 PM.
Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cautioned the aspirant against conduct that has the propensity to destroy the unity of the party.
He said individual ambitions cannot override the ambition of the party.
“The ideology of the NPP remains attractive to Ghanaians. The NPP is bigger than any individual…unity is not an option, a strategic necessity to victory,” he said at the Peace Pact signing involving the five NPP presidential aspirants on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, also sent a word of caution to all the aspirants in the New Patriotic Party presidential primary.
He asked them act in ways that NPP.
Chairman of the New Patriotic Party Elections Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu (Joewise), told all the presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to commit to accepting the outcome of the January 31, 2026, presidential primary.
He made the point that such a commitment would help build confidence among party members and enable them to campaign and vote freely for their preferred candidates without fear of division or intimidation.
“We want the contestants to affirm that the process has so far been transparent, inclusive, and fair. We want them to commit to accepting the results, and we want them to commit to supporting whoever wins out of the five contestants,” he said.
“We believe this will allow or enable members of the party to build the sufficient confidence we need to be able to freely campaign and vote for whom they choose,” he explained.
For his part, Former Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye called for fairness in the process to elect a flagbearer for the New Patriotic Party.
He urged all the aspirants to also respect the party’s values throughout the process.
Mr Oquaye emphasised the need for fairness, unity, and respect for the party’s values throughout the electoral process.
“Please do something honourable for the New Patriotic Party and our tradition,” he said.
He added that signing the peace pact is necessary, as past experiences of unfair practices, partiality, and extreme partisanship within the party had negatively affected unity.
“In saying this, I am mindful that unfair practices, partiality, and base partisanship happened in our party, which have destroyed or shaken our unity”, he added.
