Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on all the five presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to uphold unity, discipline, and democratic values before,during and after its presidential primaries scheduled for January 31, 2026.
Speaking at a peace pact ceremony in Accra on Thursday 22nd January 2026 involving party aspirants, Akufo-Addo described the gathering as evidence of the NPP’s democratic maturity and institutional growth.
He expressed appreciation to the Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohunu and senior security officials for their presence and assurances, noting that their commitments signalled confidence that the primaries would be conducted in peace and security.
“The NPP will count on you and your men and women to do a good job,” he said, emphasizing the importance of law enforcement neutrality and professionalism during the internal elections.
Reflecting on the party’s ideological roots, the former president traced the NPP’s democratic tradition back to 1947, with the formation of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC).
He noted that from its inception, the political tradition from which the NPP draws inspiration firmly embraced leadership by ballot rather than by force, intimidation, or intrigue.
According to him, that founding principle has remained a guiding lesson: while elections determine winners and losers, the true test of democracy lies in the conduct of all contestants before and after the vote.
Akufo-Addo recalled the NPP’s first presidential primaries in 1992, when Professor Albert Adu Boahen emerged as the party’s flag bearer
He said all other aspirants rallied behind him, demonstrating discipline, sacrifice, and unity even under difficult political conditions.
Drawing from personal experience, Akufo-Addo recounted his own participation in the 1998 presidential primaries, where he placed second to John Agyekum Kufuor.
He said he immediately threw his support behind Kufuor, a decision that helped secure the NPP’s historic electoral victory in 2000.
“That decision was not about convenience; it was about conviction,” he said, adding that the same spirit of fraternity later sustained the party when he himself contested and eventually won the presidency.
He warned that a party unable to manage victory with humility or defeat with dignity risks losing the confidence of the Ghanaian electorate, stressing that voters closely observe not only campaign messages but also the behaviour of political actors.
Addressing the aspirants directly, Akufo-Addo urged them to conduct their campaigns with respect and restraint, reminding them that the NPP is bigger than any individual ambition or faction.
“No grievance is greater than the elephant,” he said, stressing that unity is not merely symbolic but a strategic necessity for electoral success.
He concluded by expressing confidence in the NPP’s ideology and future, describing the party as the best vehicle for advancing individual liberty, the rule of law, private enterprise, and shared prosperity in Ghana.
“Our duty,” he said, “is to keep that vehicle united, disciplined, and worthy of the trust of the Ghanaian people.”
By Sampson Kumah Ifeetwube Elvis
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