Joe Ghartey, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, has urged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bury their differences and rally behind former Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to ensure victory for the party in the 2028 general elections.

Ghartey, the NPP’s longest-serving Member of Parliament for the Essikado-Ketan Constituency, made a passionate appeal to party members in the Central Region to form a united front in the interest of strengthening the party ahead of the next electoral cycle.

He delivered the message while speaking at an NPP reconciliation forum held at the Pempamsie Hotel in Cape Coast, which brought together party executives and grassroots organisers from across the region.

The forum served as an open and reflective engagement aimed at mending strained relationships within the party. In his keynote address, Ghartey stressed the importance of humility, introspection and collective responsibility in rebuilding unity.

“None of us is perfect. We all have made mistakes. But if we do not forgive one another, we are prisoners of our own grievances,” he told participants.

Drawing from Scripture, the experienced politician and former Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament cited John Chapter 8 and recalled the story of the adulterous woman, noting that Jesus challenged those ready to stone her by asking that the first person without sin should cast the first stone.

Referencing Matthew Chapter 18, he added that believers are instructed to forgive 77 times seven, a lesson he interpreted as a call to limitless forgiveness.

Ghartey warned that unresolved tensions within the party could undermine its electoral prospects if not addressed decisively.

According to him, genuine reconciliation must begin at the personal level before it can translate into broader party cohesion.

“We have to forgive ourselves first, then extend that forgiveness to others. Only then can we move forward as a party,” he added.

Ahead of the Central Region engagement, Ghartey paid a courtesy visit to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at his residence in Accra, where he congratulated him on his recent electoral victories.

The two held what Ghartey described as a deep and fruitful discussion focused on strategies to strengthen unity within the party and energise its grassroots base ahead of the 2028 general elections.