Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, former Vice President and 2024 NPP flagbearer, has called on members of his party who are promoting tribal narratives to desist immediately and allow the NPP to heal from its 2024 electoral setback. 

Speaking in New York on Sunday, August 24, at the party’s 33rd Anniversary celebration, he described such tactics as a grave threat to the unity and survival of the NPP.

He singled out attempts by some aspirants to argue that his ethnic background made him unelectable, warning that such propaganda was baseless and harmful. 

“Let us be clear that these views do not represent the rank and file of the party. The NPP will always triumph over tribal and religious bigots. What we need is unity to go forward and win 2028,” he stated.

Dr Bawumia pointed out that the NPP’s traditions have always rested on inclusivity, citing the party’s roots in the United Party (UP), which brought together groups from various regions, religions and communities, including the Northern People’s Party, the Muslim Association Party, the Ga Shifimokpee and the Anlo Youth Organisation. 

“It is clear, therefore, that the bonds of unity in diversity have been our lifeblood and our foundation. Now more than ever, we must refresh them,” he declared.

He further reminded the party that the NPP had never defined him by his identity when he defended the party in court, campaigned across the country, or spearheaded initiatives that helped deliver electoral victories in 2016 and 2020. 

“When I was campaigning the length and breadth of Ghana, nobody said I was a northerner, a Mamprusi or a Muslim. So what has changed now?” he asked.

Calling for maturity, he urged party members to put aside bitterness and rally around a common purpose. 

“This propaganda risks pigeonholing the NPP as a tribal and sectional party.

That is not who we are. We are the party of unity, the party that embraces all. Let us not repeat the divisions that cost us in 1979.

If we heal and stand together, we will be unstoppable in 2028,” Dr Bawumia concluded.