The five presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have signed a peace pact committing themselves to a peaceful, transparent and credible internal election ahead of the party’s presidential primary scheduled for January 31, 2026.

The pact was signed at a ceremony held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Thursday, January 22, 2026, with all five aspirants appending their signatures to signal their acceptance of the rules governing the contest and their resolve to uphold unity before, during and after the polls.

Speaking at the ceremony, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged the aspirants and party faithful to place the collective interest of the NPP above individual ambition, stressing that the party’s survival and future electoral success depended on cohesion. He reminded participants that the NPP was bigger than any single personality or faction.

The Chairman of the NPP Elections Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, also appealed to the aspirants to accept the outcome of the January 31 election and rally behind the eventual winner in the interest of party unity. 

He said disputes should be handled within the party’s established structures to avoid damaging internal cohesion.

The NPP General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, described the signing of the pact as a demonstration of the party’s commitment to internal democracy and peaceful competition. “The peace pact ensures that all candidates actively participate at every stage and accept the results of the January 31 primaries. It also commits all aspirants to maintain party cohesion and support the winner in the 2028 general elections,” he said.

According to the agreement, the aspirants acknowledged that the primary process has been conducted in a transparent, inclusive and fair manner, with equal opportunities afforded to all contestants. They pledged to accept the outcome of the election as a valid and binding expression of the will of party delegates and agreed to refrain from actions or rhetoric that could undermine party unity.

The pact further commits the candidates to promote peace within the party before, during and after the primaries, and to give their full backing to the chosen flagbearer, not only in the 2028 general election but also in efforts to secure a strong parliamentary majority for the NPP. Any disputes arising from breaches of the pact are to be resolved through the party’s internal dispute resolution mechanisms in line with its constitution.

The aspirants are former Vice-President and 2024 presidential candidate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, Abetifi MP and former Minister of Food and Agriculture Dr Bryan Acheampong, Bosomtwe MP and former Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former NPP General Secretary Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.

Mr Agyei Agyepong is contesting the NPP flagbearership for the third time, having previously run in 2007 and 2023. Mr Agyapong is making his second attempt after placing second to Dr Bawumia in the 2023 primary. Dr Acheampong and Dr Adutwum are both contesting the flagbearership for the first time, while Dr Bawumia is seeking a second mandate after winning the 2023 contest.n

Several party leaders and state officials attended the ceremony, including Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Chairman of the NPP Council of Elders Hackman Owusu Agyemang, Inspector-General of Police Christian Tetteh Yohuno, former Chief Justice Akosua Frema Osei Opare, and other senior party figures.