The five presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have signed a peace pact ahead of the party’s presidential election scheduled for January 31, 2026.
The peace pact was signed at a ceremony held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on Thursday, January 22, 2026, to ensure a peaceful, transparent, and credible electoral process within the party.
All five aspirants appended their signatures to the document, signifying their commitment to maintaining peace before, during, and after the election.
Several party leaders and state officials were present at the event, including former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and Chairman of the NPP Elections Committee Joseph Osei Owusu.
The others were: Chairman of the NPP Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu Agyemang; Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno; former Chief Justice, Akosua Frema Osei Opare; and NPP General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, among others.
The NPP presidential aspirants are former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, and Ing. Kwabena Agyepong.
Committee Chair
Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Elections Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, has called on the party’s five presidential aspirants to commit to accepting the outcome of the January 31, 2026, presidential primary.
Speaking at a peace pact signing ceremony, Mr. Osei Owusu said the party expects all contestants to affirm that the primary process has been transparent, inclusive, and fair, and to pledge their support for whoever emerges victorious.
“We want the contestants to affirm that the process has so far been transparent, inclusive, and fair. We want them to commit to accepting the results, and we want them to commit to supporting whoever wins out of the five contestants,” he said.
According to him, such a commitment would help build confidence among party members and enable them to campaign and vote freely for their preferred candidates without fear of division or intimidation.
“We believe this will allow or enable members of the party to build the sufficient confidence we need to be able to freely campaign and vote for whom they choose,” he explained.
Mr. Osei Owusu expressed hope that the pact would be treated as binding by all aspirants, describing it as an agreement between the party, the aspirants, and God.
He added that adherence to the pact would strengthen the party and better position it for the 2028 general elections.
“Our prayer and faith is that this pact will be taken seriously as a binding pact that will be between the party, the team of saints [presidential aspirants], and our God. I pray that at the end of it all, the party will come out stronger and ready for the 2028 general elections,” he stated.
IGP
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, on his part, assured the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of maximum security during its presidential primary scheduled for January 31, 2026.
The IGP disclosed that at least 70 police personnel will be stationed at each polling centre across the country to ensure a peaceful and credible process.
The IGP explained that the Police Service has formally written to the Minister for the Interior, notifying the Minister of Defence to facilitate military support in the Bawku area.
He noted that, apart from Bawku, the military will be placed on standby in all other parts of the country, while the police take the lead in providing security.
“We have enough police personnel on the field, with the exception of Bawku. That is the area where we may need the support of the military,” Mr. Yohuno stated.
“We are assuring you that at least 70 is the minimum number of police personnel that will be stationed at each polling station. We have deployed heavily, and all senior officers will be present at the polling stations.”
General Secretary
The party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, in his address, said security agencies had been placed on alert to deal decisively with any disturbances during the nationwide primaries.
“I want to use this medium to send a strong caution to any person in our party or outside our party who has any intention of discrediting or trying to mar the beauty of our democracy come January 31,” Kodua said at the signing of a peace pact by NPP presidential aspirants.
“Be careful, because on that day the IGP and his men will apprehend anybody who tries to cause chaos,” he added.
Kodua said the NPP was determined to conduct the primaries in a free, fair, and secure manner, amid concerns about internal divisions and past incidents of violence during party contests.
He urged aspirants to exercise restraint and prioritise party unity before, during, and after the vote, stressing that reconciliation would be critical ahead of the 2028 general elections.
“This contest is not a war. It is only to show whether you have the support of the party or not,” Kodua said. “When you win, you still need the support of your brothers to carry on and win the election in 2028.”
He assured candidates that the party leadership would back all aspirants and lead a post-primaries reconciliation process to unify the party.
