The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it will not force any aspirant to withdraw from its parliamentary primaries as the party explores ways to identify candidates capable of winning seats in the 2028 general elections.

NPP Director of Communications Dennis Miracles Aboagye said discussions and negotiations with potential aspirants are part of the electoral process and do not amount to forcing anyone to step aside.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Top Story, he said the party would assess the circumstances in each constituency before determining the appropriate approach to selecting its parliamentary candidate.

“Nobody is asking anybody anywhere to step down. We are saying that discussions, negotiations, conversations are all parts of democracy and the electoral process,” he said.

His comments follow a disclosure by NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia that the party has begun scouting for potential parliamentary candidates across constituencies ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Dr Bawumia said the initiative is intended to identify candidates with the potential to win parliamentary seats, rather than relying solely on the outcome of internal primaries.

According to him, some aspirants may have the financial resources to win an NPP parliamentary primary but may not necessarily be capable of winning the subsequent general election.

Mr Aboagye explained that while some constituencies may have several capable aspirants who would have to compete through the ballot, others may require consensus-building among potential candidates.

“There are some constituencies when you go, you identify about four or five capable people. What it means is that all of four or five of them have the capacity to win the seat. You have to put them into the ballot,” he said.

He stressed that there would be no one-size-fits-all approach, with the circumstances and dynamics of each constituency determining how the party proceeds.

“Election is not the only option in democracy. Negotiations are part of democracy. Sitting down and agreeing to certain things are all parts of democracy,” he said.