NPP presidential hopeful Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has rejected claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) selects its leaders based on tribal or ethnic considerations, emphasizing that the party’s tradition has never been rooted in such divisions.
Addressing party supporters at Lapaz in Accra during his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, Dr. Bawumia dismissed tribal propaganda as both baseless and contrary to the historical values of the NPP.
“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 traced the party’s ideological roots back to 1957, during the era of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. He recounted how the Avoidance of Discrimination Act led to the formation of the United Party (UP), which was established to unify several regional political parties under a single umbrella.
He highlighted a key moment in the UP’s formation, noting that although the Northern People’s Party—led by S.D. Dombo—secured the most parliamentary seats (13) at the time, leadership of the UP was instead given to Dr. K.A. Busia, whose Ghana Congress Party held just one seat.
“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.
According to him, this historical precedent demonstrates the party’s long-standing commitment to merit, unity, and national interest over tribal or regional affiliations.
