Former Member of Parliament for Ablekuma Central, Ebenezer Nii Narh Nartey, has dismissed claims that the party is covertly pushing a “system candidate” ahead of its upcoming presidential primaries.
Speaking in an interview on ABC In The Morning, Mr. Nartey said suggestions that the party leadership is rallying behind a preferred aspirant are unfounded and do not reflect the internal democratic practices of the NPP. According to him, no one within the party machinery has attempted to influence his choice or that of any other member.
“Sometimes, when I hear people talking about system candidate, how do you define someone being a system candidate? I have a mind of my own,” he stated. “You cannot tell me who I should support, or who I should vote for.”
The member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Constitutional Review Committee stressed that the party is not whipping any member in line, insisting that every delegate is free to support any aspirant without fear of intimidation or sanction.
Emphasizing on his point, Mr. Nartey recalled a meeting he attended with then-President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and a group of party communicators in 2024. He said the former President repeatedly questioned why the public claimed the NPP had an “institutional” or “establishment” candidate.
He noted that even during that period, several government officials including ministers, deputy ministers, and CEOs openly supported aspirants other than the then–Vice President, yet Akufo-Addo never attempted to stop any of them.
“He asked them, calling them by their names, ‘You, you are supporting this person, have I called you to stop?’” Mr. Nartey recounted. “I didn’t see him saying that, go and support this person.”
Mr. Nartey said this experience reflects the party’s long-standing tradition of internal democracy and freedom of choice. He urged party members and the public to disregard claims of an endorsed “system candidate,” insisting that such narratives only create unnecessary tension ahead of the presidential primaries.
The New Patriotic Party will hold its presidential primaries on 31st January 2026 , with five aspirants cleared to contest: Ken Ohene Agyapong, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, and Kwabena Agyei Agyepong. The internal election is expected to draw significant national attention as the party moves to elect a flagbearer for the 2028 general elections.
