The Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has stated that the party is not concerned with any particular position on the 2024 presidential ballot.
According to him, the party’s primary focus is ensuring that their flagbearer, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is declared the winner in the December 7 presidential race.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on Tuesday, Mr. Mohammed clarified that the NPP does not oversee elections and is not attempting to influence the ballot paper order.
He dismissed claims that the party is manipulating the Ghana Freedom Party’s (GFP) re-entry onto the ballot to alter the NPP’s position.
“We are stakeholders and competitors in this particular election. Our interest is to make sure that Dr. Bawumia becomes president. We don’t have any interest as to who becomes number what.”
“We are not going to peddle any influence over any political party with respect to any position,” he said.
His remarks came after the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Mustapha Gbande, alleged that the NPP was involved in the recent internal disputes within the GFP.
Mr. Gbande claimed that since the NDC secured number eight, the NPP had allegedly worked to prevent the GFP from rejoining the ballot, aiming to shift ballot positions in their favour.
“We do know that the NPP has done so much to try to frustrate GFP re-listing into the contest so that they can succeed in changing numbers… what they forget is that no political party has really won an election in Ghana on the basis of numbers. So it is the NPP behind this kind of gimmick,” Mr. Gbande claimed.
But responding to these accusations, the NPP Deputy General Secretary asserted that the NDC has not provided any evidence to support its allegation that the NPP is behind the recent turmoil within the GFP.
He urged the NDC to avoid spreading unfounded allegations, saying, “I would advise my brother to desist from peddling falsehoods that are not substantiated.”
He expressed confidence that the NPP would defeat the NDC regardless of ballot positioning, stating, “Even if [John Mahama] is placed on number one, we will beat him.”
The GFP is facing internal turmoil as two factions have issued contradictory letters to the Electoral Commission (EC) regarding the party’s participation in the December 7 general elections.
In one letter, the General Secretary of the GFP, George Afful, officially notified the EC of the party’s decision to endorse Philip Kwabena Agyemang, also known as Roman Fada, as their presidential candidate.
This followed the untimely passing of the party’s founder and previous flagbearer, Akua Donkor.
This decision complies with the EC’s directive, which instructed the GFP to nominate a new presidential candidate within 10 days, in line with Article 40(4) of the 1992 Constitution.
However, another letter from the party’s National Organiser, Richard Botchway, stated that, after consulting with Akua Donkor’s family, the GFP had decided to withdraw from the presidential race entirely.
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