New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed suggestions that the party selects its leaders based on tribal or regional considerations, insisting that such claims are contrary to the NPP’s history and tradition.
Addressing party supporters at Lapaz in Accra on October 3, as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region ahead of the January 31 presidential primaries, Dr. Bawumia stressed that tribal propaganda has no place in the party’s internal politics.
“For this tribal propaganda, I want to make it clear that we don’t vote on tribal lines. It is not part of our tradition,” he stated.
Dr. Bawumia pointed to the party’s roots in the United Party (UP), formed in 1957 after the passage of the Avoidance of Discrimination Act, which brought together several regional parties.
He explained that although the Northern People’s Party, led by S.D. Dombo, secured the largest number of parliamentary seats at the time, it was Dr. K.A. Busia of the Ghana Congress Party — which had just one seat — who was chosen to lead the UP.
“Normally, Dombo should have been the leader of the UP, but the Northern People’s Party agreed for Busia to lead because they saw him as the one who could help UP attain political power,” Dr. Bawumia recounted, noting that the decision demonstrated the party’s commitment to unity and inclusiveness over tribal or regional dominance.
Source:Africa Publicity
