Voting has officially closed in the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primaries across constituencies nationwide, bringing to an end a keenly contested internal election to select the party’s flagbearer for the 2028 general elections.

Sorting and counting of results has commenced at the various polling centres nationwide, with party supporters and observers keenly awaiting the outcome of the tightly contested primaries.

Five candidates are vying for the position: former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong; former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum; former Minister for Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong; and former General Secretary of the party, Kwabena Agyapong.

The election saw more than 200,000 delegates voting across 276 constituencies to determine who leads the party into the next general elections.

As polls drew to a close, isolated incidents and varying turnout levels were reported across the country.

At Ablekuma North, confusion briefly broke out about 20 minutes before the close of voting following a suspected interference. Two persons, including one identified as Abu, were arrested by ACP Kofi Sarpong and taken to the Odorkor Divisional Police Headquarters.

With 15 minutes left to the close of polls, former Presidents Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Agyekum Kufuor were yet to cast their ballots at the party’s headquarters.

In the Tema West Constituency, hundreds of delegates remained in queues at the Star KG polling centre at Community 5 with just 30 minutes to the close of voting, indicating strong participation late into the exercise.

At Kwabenya, however, voting activity slowed significantly, with no queues and no voting recorded about 15 minutes before polls officially closed.

In Tamale Central, a long queue of over 200 delegates was still waiting to vote as the polling time expired. One individual was arrested at the centre for allegedly taking a photograph of his ballot.

At Weija-Gbawe, voting has officially ended, with police personnel barricading the voting area as Electoral Commission officials prepare to begin the collation of results.

Meanwhile, in Ablekuma South, a total of 922 delegates cast their ballots across two polling centres before the close of polls. Centre One records 484 votes, while Centre Two accounts for 438 votes. Out of 1,019 accredited delegates in the constituency, 97 are unable to vote as the polling time expired.