The New Patriotic Party (NPP) states that it is fully prepared for its January 31, 2026, presidential primaries, with arrangements in place to ensure a credible and transparent process.
A total of 211,849 delegates are expected to vote at 333 polling centres across 276 constituencies nationwide, with polls opening at 0700 hours and closing at 1400 hours
Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, Chairperson of the NPP Presidential Elections Committee, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday that preparations, including the final register, security arrangements, voting centres and election rules, had been completed, with the conduct of the polls entrusted to the Electoral Commission (EC).
“Everything that has to be done is done. The Commission is ready, the police are ready, and everything they need to be able to do their work has been provided,” he said.
Mr Osei-Owusu said the party worked closely with the EC to identify voting centres, noting that each constituency would have one centre, except where delegate numbers exceeded 1,000, in which case voting points would be split within the same locality.
He said the arrangement resulted in 333 polling centres, including one at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
Mr Osei-Owusu said two proposed voting centres were relocated after joint assessments with the EC and constituency executives, adding that the decision received unanimous approval from all five presidential aspirants.
“At every stage, we involved the contestants themselves. We showed them the list, we listened to concerns, and we resolved them together,” he said.
On the delegate register, Mr Osei-Owusu said issues arising from validation, petitions and corrections were resolved transparently, with agents of all aspirants involved throughout the process.
Out of an initial 213,617 names, 2,827 deceased members and 653 persons who had forfeited their membership were identified, leaving 211,849 eligible voters.
“If you go to our IT centre now, you will find representatives of the contestants verifying everything and endorsing it before final printing,” he said.
Mr Osei-Owusu said the NPP had handed over the entire voting, counting, collation and declaration process to the EC, with results to be declared first at polling centres, collated at regional centres and finally declared at the party’s headquarters in Accra.
The party headquarters would then formally announce the results and introduce the winner to the public.
On security, Mr Osei-Owusu said the Ghana Police Service would deploy between 70 and 150 officers per polling centre, with military support in selected areas, particularly in parts of the Upper East Region.
“Anybody thinking of bringing private security or ‘macho’ men should think twice. The police will deal with it very, very severely,” he warned.
Mr Osei-Owusu said proxy voting had been abolished for the primaries to safeguard the integrity and acceptability of the process.
“We felt that this is not an election in which we should allow anybody the basis to claim that the process was tainted,” he said.
The five aspirants contesting the January 31, 2026 NPP presidential primaries are Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Dr Bryan Acheampong and Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.
Mr Osei-Owusu expressed confidence in the process.
“Everybody will be satisfied that he won because he was voted for, or he lost because he was voted against,” he said.
GNA
