Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has asserted that the party’s decision to hold presidential primaries early is aimed at giving its eventual flagbearer enough time to engage stakeholders, articulate party policies, and strengthen its position as the leading opposition force.

This comes in the wake of the NPP’s official announcement highlighting January 31, 2026, as the set date for its presidential primaries, following recommendations from its constitutional review process.

In an exclusive interview on Channel One Newsroom on Tuesday, June 17, Haruna Mohammed explained that the early date will allow the candidate to gain traction with the international and business communities, while also helping the party shift focus from internal disputes to national engagement.

He stressed that the move is especially important given the NPP’s current minority status in Parliament.

“It is going to market the candidate enough with regards to us being able to get a contact in the international community, the business community and the various stakeholders across the length and breadth of the world.

“We would get ample time to be able to explain our policy and be able to tackle and put the government on its toes. Remember we have just 88 members of parliament, so we need to have somebody to able to get this done,” he stated.