Political Science lecturer Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng says the fact that New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Mahamudu Bawumia and National Chairmanship candidate Awentami Paul Afoko are both from northern Ghana should not, in itself, be a consideration in determining their suitability for leadership positions in the party.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Akoma FM, the Senior Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) said the regional background of the two politicians should be immaterial if they were considered capable of contributing to the party’s objectives.

His comments followed a question about concerns that having Dr Bawumia as the NPP’s flagbearer and Mr Afoko as National Chairman could lead to complaints that both leaders come from the same broad part of the country.

“Why should that be an issue? If they are capable and they can contribute to the collective aspirations of the party, then what is the problem?” he asked.

Dr Amakye-Boateng said such considerations should not overshadow what he described as the party’s collective aspirations.

He argued that the NPP’s history showed that competence and the ability to contribute to the party had often taken precedence over individuals’ specific backgrounds.

“If your opponent has nothing else to say, they will resort to trivialities,” he said.

According to him, the party’s interests should be prioritised when choosing people for leadership positions.

He said political opponents could resort to what he described as “trivialities”, including regional background, when they believed they had little else to argue.

Dr Amakye-Boateng also pointed to what he described as an emerging tradition within the NPP of supporting people based on their competence.

He cited Dr Bawumia’s rise within the party as an example, arguing that party members recognised his capacity when they elected him as their presidential candidate.

The political scientist also referred to the NPP’s history of diverse leadership, arguing that the backgrounds of its leaders had not prevented the party from bringing different people together around its political objectives.

Afoko’s return to active politics

Dr Amakye-Boateng said Mr Afoko’s return to active politics could provide the NPP with an opportunity to pursue reconciliation and bring back members who had become disaffected or withdrawn from the party.

His comments come ahead of the NPP’s national officers’ elections scheduled for October 3, 2026, as the party prepares for the 2028 general election. The election will be held in Kumasi, with four candidates contesting the National Chairmanship position: John Boadu, Sammy Crabbe, Paul Afoko and Boakye Agyarko.