A religious scholar and First National Vice Chairman aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has dismissed claims that Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s presidential ambitions are part of an agenda to turn Ghana into an Islamic state.

He said the voting patterns of Ghanaian Muslims in the 2024 presidential election showed that religious affiliation did not determine their political choices and could not be used to suggest that a Muslim president would transform Ghana into an Islamic nation.

Dr Abdul-Hamid made the remarks when he delivered the 2026 Liberty Lecture organised by the Danquah Institute in Accra.

The lecture was held on the theme: “One Nation, Many Faiths: Emerging Threats to Religious Tolerance in Ghana.”

He argued that if there were a coordinated agenda among Muslims to Islamise Ghana, Dr Bawumia’s candidature as the NPP’s presidential candidate in the 2024 election would have provided an opportunity for Muslims to rally behind him on religious grounds.

“If such an agenda existed, Mr Chairman, the candidacy of Mahamudu Bawumia would have been the catalyst and his candidature would have been the opportunity for Muslims to rally around such an agenda, but they didn’t,” he said.

Dr Abdul-Hamid cited several Muslim-dominated constituencies, including Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Asawasi, Ejura, Tamale North, Tamale Central, Tamale South and Sagnarigu, which he said voted strongly for President John Dramani Mahama, a Christian, over Dr Bawumia.

He said the voting patterns demonstrated that religious identity did not automatically translate into political allegiance.

“Consciously, in the Ghanaian psyche, our religious differences do not spill over into our political consideration,” he said.

Dr Abdul-Hamid cautioned against portraying a potential Bawumia presidency as a religious project, saying the former Vice President’s career and political agenda had centred largely on economics and national development.

“Mahamudu Bawumia is seeking the presidency of Ghana not to reorder the religious destiny of our country,” he said.

He also rejected concerns that the proposed introduction of Arabic as an optional subject at the basic-school level formed part of an Islamisation agenda.

“Arabic is a language separate and distinct from Islam,” he said, arguing that proficiency in the language could create opportunities in international commerce, diplomacy, education and investment.

He further dismissed concerns about interest-free banking, saying Islamic banking would expand financial options rather than impose religious practices on the wider population.

“The European experience demonstrates that Islamic banking is not about Islamizing a country. It is about widening financial options,” he said.

Dr Abdul-Hamid urged Ghanaians to resist attempts to exploit religious differences for political gain, particularly ahead of the 2028 general election.

He said voters were more concerned about jobs, good governance, security, education, healthcare and efficient public services than efforts to alter Ghana’s religious identity.

He therefore urged the electorate to assess political candidates based on their competence, character and capacity to govern rather than their religious backgrounds.