- Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has condemned the use of tribal and religious propaganda in the lead-up to the NPP’s presidential primaries, warning that such tactics threaten party unity and mislead delegates.
- He cited attempts by fellow aspirants to exploit his Mamprusi background, linking it to the party’s poor performance in Kusasi-dominated areas.
- His remarks follow comments by Dr. Bryan Acheampong, who attributed the NPP’s 2024 defeat to tribal tensions surrounding Bawumia’s candidacy.
As the New Patriotic Party gears up for its presidential primaries, tensions are rising — and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is calling out what he sees as a dangerous turn in the campaign.
Speaking to party members on August 24, the 2024 presidential candidate didn’t mince words. He accused some aspirants of resorting to tribal and religious propaganda in a bid to sway delegates, describing the tactic as both desperate and divisive.
At the heart of the controversy is the Mamprusi–Kusasi conflict, a longstanding ethnic tension in northern Ghana. According to Bawumia, one aspirant has urged delegates to reject him based on his Mamprusi heritage, claiming it would alienate voters in Kusasi-majority areas. Bawumia dismissed the argument as politically hollow and historically inaccurate.
“The data doesn’t support it,” he said, referencing election results dating back decades. “Our challenges in the Bawku zone existed long before I entered frontline politics.”
His comments come in response to remarks made by Abetifi MP and fellow flagbearer hopeful Dr. Bryan Acheampong, who on August 23 suggested that tribal dynamics played a key role in the NPP’s 2024 electoral defeat. Acheampong argued that while past leaders like Kufuor and Akufo-Addo secured broad support across northern constituencies, Bawumia’s candidacy was undermined by deep-rooted rivalries.
But Bawumia isn’t buying it. He insists the party’s loss had more to do with governance and voter dissatisfaction than identity politics — and he’s urging fellow contenders to focus on ideas, not ethnicity.
“If you want to lead, bring your vision. Don’t reduce this race to tribal labels,” he said.
With the primaries approaching, the NPP faces a critical choice: lean into unity or risk fracturing along fault lines that have nothing to do with policy — and everything to do with identity.
