The Chairman of the NPP’s National Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has emphatically dismissed claims that the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) harbours biases against Northerners.

He pointed to the rise of the current flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as a testament to the party’s inclusivity.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, November 26, the former New Juaben North MP detailed the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the NPP’s tradition, asserting that the party has always been inclusive.

He argued that the narrative of the NPP being “anti-North” is rooted in misunderstanding and misrepresentation.

“I think it’s a whole matter of people not really understanding the philosophy, posture, and understanding within the United Party (UP) tradition,” Mr Owusu-Agyeman said on Monday.

“Initially, when we started, those from the North, at most, we had only one, and that’s only one from the South, and that was given to Busia.”

The former Foreign Minister explained how leaders from the North, such as S.D. Dombo and C.K. Tedam played pivotal roles in shaping the party.

“Donbo, C.K. Tedam, and all of these great individuals from the North came in and said, ‘You take the leadership.’ Being from the North is not a disadvantage,” he stressed.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman highlighted Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as a clear example of the NPP’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity.

“This gives us an opportunity to exhibit absolutely clearly, without any shadow of doubt, that whether you are from the North, from the East, West, South—and you are capable—you can become the leader of our party,” he said.

He praised Dr Bawumia’s ability to unite people from different religious and cultural backgrounds.

“Very interestingly, Dr. Bawumia has shown that he can do that. I mean, he gets on with everybody. He goes to church. He came to the Catholic Church. And the things we do, he does the same thing.”

Owusu-Agyeman emphasized that Ghana’s diversity is its strength. “I don’t know of one country which has only got one group of people or one religion. We have to accommodate each other… It’s a symbiotic process,” he explained.

The senior statesman acknowledged that in the party’s early years, voting dynamics favoured Southern leaders due to population concentration in the South.

However, he believes the NPP has evolved significantly, proving its commitment to equity and fairness.

“This issue of not getting a Northerner—it’s not even about that. It’s the fact that, because the majority of the people were in the South, quite obviously, if you go for voting elections at that time… But now we’ve all opened our eyes,” he said.

Owusu-Agyeman described Dr. Bawumia’s leadership as a significant milestone for the NPP and Ghana as a whole.

“This gives us an opportunity to tell the whole world that we are not anti-North or anti-this or anti-that… At the end of the day, we all get on to move this nation forward. What’s important is the welfare of our people, and that’s what we are working on,” he concluded.