Political analyst Joshua Jebuntie Zaato has described the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) decision to hold early presidential primaries as a “master stroke” that strengthened the party’s prospects ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday (3 February), Zaato said the early selection of Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia as flagbearer provided the party with “time and options” to consolidate support, reconcile internal factions, and plan a campaign strategy.
Critics had labelled the move as top-down, he noted, but “the most vociferous critics came from opposition camps,” and the party’s leadership stuck to its decision.
Zaato emphasised that the early primaries gave Bawumia the advantage of not being constrained by internal party pressures. “He now has a chance to prosecute his campaign the way he wants, to reconcile the way he wants, and to run the system the way he wants,” he said.
The analyst also stressed the importance of party unity post-primaries. He argued that delegates’ voting patterns indicated a preference for a reconciliatory party, placing an implicit responsibility on the flagbearer and party members to heal divisions and engage supporters across constituencies.
“The delegates themselves have chosen a reconciling party,” Zaato said. “Any member who goes against that cannot call themselves a true MPP member. The party’s victory in the primaries comes with both power and responsibility.”
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