NPP MPs must remain neutral - Minority Leader, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Arthur Kennedy share views
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has advised members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Caucus in Parliament to remain neutral to foster a sense of unity among the rank and file after the party’s post-flagbearer elections on January 31, 2026.
He said as Members of Parliament (MPs), they were supposed to toe the middle ground, hold the party together and not to take sides openly.
“My view is that we should be very neutral in all this so that after the primary, we can bring all sides on board and be the advocate for peace,” the Minority Leader told the Daily Graphic in an exclusive interview.
We need unity
Sharing his perspective on the decision by some NPP MPs to support the flagbearer aspirants ahead of the party’s presidential primary scheduled for January 31, next year, Mr Afenyo-Markin said: “If care is not taken, you, the MP yourself, becomes a target after the primary because somebody may not be happy the way you went about your campaign”.
“You may have your views alright, but it is important to remain neutral so that all candidates can reach out to you in difficulty, especially after the primaries because we need the unity of the party,” he said.
Time to show love
The Minority Leader postulated that NPP MPs, as well as supporters of the party, must also act with caution as the party was getting ready for the next presidential primary.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said if they supported any particular candidate, they must sell the brand of the candidate instead of insulting opponents.
“It does not help the good of democracy; what does your candidate stand for, his vision for the party and the country?” he said quizzically.
“To me, these are matters that matter, not the name-calling because in the world of politics, there is no perfect candidate,” the Minority Leader said.
He explained that in politics what mattered the most was the vision of a candidate as well as the group vision that “we will rally around and get into the elections”.
Asked what would be his advice for MPs who might decline to remain neutral, the Minority Leader persisted in entreating members of the caucus to exercise extreme caution in the manner they carried themselves.
“Be measured in your utterances so as to make it easy for post-primary reconciliation, where you yourselves will partake in. Because, definitely in post-election reconciliation, MPs will play a vital role,” he stated.
“It is the time for us to show love and stay together,” Mr Afenyo-Markin entreated.
“If you cannot adhere to my advice of being neutral and you want to show face, it is within your right, but be measured and put up a posture that will promote reconciliation,” the Leader of the Minority caucus added.
Guard against trust deficit
Using himself as an example, Mr Afenyo-Markin said he had personally restrained himself because he wanted to keep a good relationship with all flagbearer aspirants.
He said as a member of the NPP National Steering Committee and a member of the various organs of the party involved in decision-making, “if I am not seen to be neutral, I will suffer some trust deficit”.
The MP for Effutu also touted how being neutral in politics had allowed him to become a member of the Professor Mike Oquaye Committee that organised the party’s presidential primary in 2023.
“I was there in the committee because members trusted in our judgement of neutrality, and nobody objected to Prof. Oquaye being in charge of the presidential election committee.
“I was there and we received complaints and resolved every challenge that came and drew up the guidelines for elections,” he said, adding that “so, I would want to draw on that experience to continue to play same role again”.
As the Leader of the NPP Caucus in Parliament, Mr Afenyo-Markin added that his ultimate goal was for the party to win the next general election; therefore, “we in Parliament must do our work to demonstrate to the nation that the NPP is ready”.
“But to be ready means reforms as proposed and at delegates’ conference we will be able to firm up the direction we want to go by way of the kind of reforms we want,” he said.
Early presidential primary
On the issue of early flagbearer primary, the Minority Leader said the NPP constitution envisaged a situation where the party conducted early presidential contest while in opposition.
He, therefore, said he did not have any problem with the proposal by the Constitutional Review Committee, chaired by Frank Davies, and set up by National Council to push for early primary on January 31, next year.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said that notwithstanding, such a decision was subject to the annual delegates’ conference, made up of all the grassroots polling stations, constituency and regional executives, set for July 19, 2025, to confirm it.
“So, whatever the proposal may be, it would be sent to conference for confirmation,” he said.
Speed up internal organisation
Regarding the organisation of the NPP, the MP for Effutu said he was of the strong view that while the party desired to have an early presidential contest, the party should equally speed up its internal organisation.
He said the party should ensure that it organised all the internal structures to be ready for the flagbearer primary, “so that whoever wins can ride on the cohesion at the grassroots”.
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu supports
For his part, the former MP for Suame in the Ashanti Region, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who also served as the Majority Leader in the Eighth Parliament, defended the party's decision to hold its presidential primary on January 31, 2026.
According to him, the National Council, the party's highest decision-making body, has the authority to set the date, and the early election would promote peace within the party.
"NPP has done this before," he said, and cited the 2012 example where the party elected its presidential candidate two years ahead of the election.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasised that the party's constitution granted the National Council the power to make such decisions.
The party's National Executive Committee and National Council made the decision to hold the presidential primary on January 31, 2026, after a crucial meeting on June 17, 2025.
Nominations for the primary are expected to open from December 2 to 6, 2025.
Arthur Kennedy disagrees
A member of the NPP, Dr Arthur Kennedy, expressed concern over the party's decision to hold its presidential primary on January 31, 2026, to elect its flag bearer for the 2028 general election.
He said the party's internal discourse had reached a boiling point, and the decision to pick a flag bearer at this time might be premature.
Dr Kennedy said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
"Traditionally, the NPP, at least since the time of B.J. Da Rocha, a founding member and first National Chairman, has always felt that right after a presidential election, there is the need for renewal of the mandate by all party executives, starting from the polling station all the way to the national level," he explained.
He added that the tradition had been respected all the way to Peter Mac Manu’s tenure as the National Chairman.
Mandate
Dr Kennedy stressed that it was necessary for the party executives to first renew their mandate.
That, he said, was essential for the party's growth and effectiveness.
The campaign manager for former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2008 questioned the timing of the flagbearer election, saying, "Why pick it in early 2026 when you could wait till mid-2027 or late 2027?"
"Election issues are not static. So, for example, the issues that are salient now may not be salient in 2028. So, most parties, out of pragmatism, wait until as close to the election as possible to pick their candidates," he suggested.
He cited examples from other countries, such as the US, where parties often waited until close to the election to pick their candidates, allowing them to respond to changing electoral dynamics to buttress his point.
Dr Kennedy also stressed the importance of adopting a more democratic approach to the party's primary elections, advocating a system where all party members could vote.
"The logical end of all this is letting everybody who is a party member to vote," he said.
That would help prevent the buying of delegates and ensure the true voice of the party's rank and file was heard, he added.
Constitution
The NPP constitution under Article 13(1)(1) provides that the date and venue for the election of the party’s Presidential Candidate shall be decided by the National Council of the party.
Article 13 (1) of the party's Constitution says the election of the party’s Presidential Candidate shall be held not later than twenty-four (24) months from the date of the national election. The date and venue for the election shall be decided by the National Council, provided, however, that the National Council may, on appropriate occasion, vary the date.
Article 13 (2) says not later than six (6) months prior to the holding of the election, the General Secretary shall give notice inviting applications from members for nomination as the party’s candidate to contest for the office of President of the Republic.
