Former Vice President and flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed claims that the party operates on tribal lines, describing such assertions as unfounded political propaganda.

Speaking at Lapaz in Accra on Friday, October 3, as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region, Dr Bawumia said the NPP’s tradition has always been rooted in inclusiveness and merit, not ethnicity.

“The tribal propaganda which is there, I want everybody to know that our party, the NPP, does not vote on tribal lines. It is not part of our tradition,” he said.

He traced the party’s political philosophy to the early years of Ghana’s independence, noting that its historical roots show a commitment to unity and national purpose rather than regional or ethnic loyalty.

“If you go back to 1950 during Nkrumah’s time, he passed the Avoidance of Discrimination Act and we formed the United Party (UP). We didn’t need parties based on regions,” he explained.

Dr Bawumia recounted that after the formation of the United Party, the Northern People’s Party led by S.D. Dombo had the largest number of seats—13 in total while Dr K.A. Busia’s Ghana Congress Party had only one.

“Normally, Dombo should have been the leader of the United Party because he had more seats. But the Northern People’s Party sat down and decided that we want to take power from Nkrumah.

"And Busia is the one most likely to help us win power. So they gave the leadership to Busia, even though they had more numbers,” he said.

Dr Bawumia stated that this historic decision reflected the NPP tradition of prioritising competence and unity over tribal affiliation, urging party members to reject divisive narratives ahead of the 2028 elections.