The Chairman of the NPP’s National Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has emphatically dismissed claims that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) harbours biases against Northerners.
He cited the rise of the current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, as evidence of the party’s inclusivity.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 26, the former New Juaben North MP discussed the historical and philosophical foundations of the NPP’s tradition, asserting that the party has always embraced inclusivity.
He argued that the narrative of the NPP being “anti-North” stems from misunderstanding and misrepresentation.
“I think it’s a whole matter of people not really understanding the philosophy, posture, and understanding within the United Party (UP) tradition,” Mr. Owusu-Agyeman explained.
He added: “Initially, when we started, those from the North — at most — we had only one, and that’s only one from the South, and that was given to Busia.”
The former Foreign Minister, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, highlighted the pivotal roles played by Northern leaders such as S.D. Dombo and C.K. Tedam in shaping the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“Dombo, C.K. Tedam, and all of these great individuals from the North came in and said, ‘You take the leadership.’ Being from the North is not a disadvantage,” he emphasized.
Mr. Owusu-Agyeman cited Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a clear example of the NPP’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.
“This gives us an opportunity to exhibit absolutely clearly, without any shadow of doubt, that whether you are from the North, from the East, West, or South—and you are capable—you can become the leader of our party,” he stated.
He praised Dr. Bawumia’s ability to unite people from diverse religious and cultural backgrounds, adding: “Very interestingly, Dr. Bawumia has shown that he can do that. I mean, he gets on with everybody. He goes to church. He came to the Catholic Church. And the things we do, he does the same thing.”
Mr. Owusu-Agyeman underscored Ghana’s diversity as its greatest strength. “I don’t know of one country which has only got one group of people or one religion. We have to accommodate each other… It’s a symbiotic process,” he explained.
He acknowledged that in the NPP’s early years, voting dynamics tended to favour Southern leaders due to population concentration in the South. However, he noted that the party has since evolved significantly, demonstrating its commitment to equity and fairness.
“This issue of not getting a Northerner—it’s not even about that. It’s the fact that, because the majority of the people were in the South, quite obviously, if you go for voting elections at that time… But now we’ve all opened our eyes,” he said.
Describing Dr. Bawumia’s leadership as a milestone for both the NPP and Ghana, he remarked: “This gives us an opportunity to tell the whole world that we are not anti-North or anti-this or anti-that… At the end of the day, we all get on to move this nation forward. What’s important is the welfare of our people, and that’s what we are working on.”
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