The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it has completed all preparations for its presidential primaries slated for January 31, 2026, promising a smooth, transparent and secure exercise.

The internal election will see 211,849 accredited delegates casting their ballots at 333 polling stations spread across the country’s 276 constituencies. Voting is scheduled to begin at 7:00am and end at 2:00pm.

Speaking in Accra on Tuesday, Chairman of the NPP Presidential Elections Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, said the party had finalized all operational, logistical and security measures, stressing that the Electoral Commission (EC) would fully manage the process.

According to him, the EC, together with the Ghana Police Service, has been adequately resourced to ensure the successful conduct of the primaries. He said the party worked closely with the Commission to determine suitable voting locations, with most constituencies assigned a single polling centre. However, constituencies with more than 1,000 delegates were provided with additional voting points within the same area.

This arrangement, he noted, resulted in 333 polling centres nationwide, including one at the party’s national headquarters in Accra. Two initially proposed centres were later moved following joint reviews by the EC and constituency party executives, a decision he said received the unanimous backing of all five presidential hopefuls.

Mr Osei-Owusu explained that the aspirants were consulted throughout the planning process, including the validation of polling centres and the delegate register. He said concerns raised were addressed collectively to ensure consensus.

On the final voters’ list, he disclosed that the register was thoroughly vetted through petitions and verification exercises involving representatives of all contestants. From an original list of 213,617 names, a total of 2,827 deceased persons and 653 individuals who had lost their party membership were removed, leaving 211,849 eligible delegates.

He added that representatives of the aspirants were still present at the party’s IT centre to verify and endorse the final register ahead of printing.

Mr Osei-Owusu further stated that the NPP had officially entrusted the EC with the voting, counting, collation and declaration of results. Results will be announced at polling stations, compiled at regional centres and subsequently declared at the party’s headquarters in Accra, where the eventual winner will be formally presented.

On security arrangements, he said the police would deploy between 70 and 150 officers to each polling centre, with military support in selected locations, particularly in parts of the Upper East Region. He warned that the use of private security personnel or vigilante groups would not be tolerated.

To further protect the credibility of the exercise, he announced that proxy voting would not be permitted during the primaries.

The five candidates contesting the NPP presidential slot are Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, former General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Assin Central MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, Minister of Food and Agriculture Dr Bryan Acheampong, and Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.

Mr Osei-Owusu expressed confidence that the outcome of the primaries would be accepted by all contenders, describing the process as fair and credible.