The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearer race for the 2028 elections intensified on Tuesday, September 23, as leading contenders Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong underwent vetting by the party’s committee, both emerging optimistic about their prospects in the January 31, 2026, primaries.
The vetting, chaired by former Defence Minister Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufuor at NPP headquarters in Adabraka, was postponed from September 15 without explanation and included former General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Abetifi MP Dr. Bryan Acheampong, and Bosomtwe MP Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Bawumia, the 2024 presidential candidate who garnered 37.41% in the 2023 primaries, described the session as “thorough and productive,” expressing satisfaction with the questions on his vision and pledging intensified grassroots campaigns. “We are not taking anything for granted… We have to campaign, sell our ideas and sell the NPP,” he told journalists.
Agyapong, the Assin Central MP and businessman who finished second in 2023, echoed the sentiment, stating, “I was prepared… They know I’m ready to be president.” He highlighted enumerating solutions to national issues during the rigorous yet respectful questioning, marking his second bid after the previous defeat to Bawumia.
Both emphasized party unity amid the competition, with nationwide tours planned to court delegates.
Nominations opened July 29 and closed August 28, with the primaries set to select the NPP’s 2028 candidate in a race seen as one of the party’s most competitive.
Agyapong previously criticized Bawumia’s leadership, predicting a 16-year opposition stint if he leads again.eb6ccf
