Member of Parliament for Sissala West, Mohammed Sukparu, has cast doubt on the effectiveness of the peace pact signed by aspirants in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) ongoing flagbearership race, arguing that the mere signing of documents does not necessarily translate into peace.

His comment follows the five New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirants’ signing a peace pact committing to unity, respect for the electoral process, and support for the eventual winner ahead of the party’s January 31, 2026, primaries.

Speaking on Breakfast Daily on Channel One  TV on Monday, January 26, Mr Sukparu said the behaviour of the aspirants during the signing ceremony did not reflect the unity and calm the pact was intended to foster.

According to him, the party’s leadership should have taken firmer steps to rein in excesses during the campaign period, particularly at a time when some aspirants were openly attacking one another.

“Whatever happened at the peace pact signing was just documentation. If you observed the faces of the candidates seated there, there was nothing to suggest that they were demonstrating peace. Peace must be demonstrated, not reduced to a mere signature,” he said.

Mr Sukparu also criticised the party’s hierarchy for failing to address alleged misconduct among aspirants, including verbal attacks and unsubstantiated accusations.

“Right from the word go, you saw some candidates describing others as mad, sick, or accusing them of engaging in illegal activities, yet nobody from the party’s top hierarchy has come out to condemn such behaviour,” he said.

He added that if the party is genuinely committed to peace, it must go beyond symbolic gestures.

“If they truly want to exhibit the peace they are calling for, they must go beyond mere signatures,” he added.

The NPP presidential primary scheduled for January 31 is fiercely contested by former Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Ken Ohene Agyapong; former Minister of Food and Agriculture and MP for Abetifi, Dr Byran Acheampong; former Vice-President and 2024 Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Minister of Education and MP for Bosomtwe, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.