For the New Patriotic Party (NPP), unity alone will not be enough to reclaim power in 2028. The bigger battle, according to a key member of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign team, is rebuilding trust among Ghanaian voters.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said the party is under no illusion that internal cohesion automatically translates into electoral victory.

The former Information Minister acknowledged that while unity is necessary, it is only the starting point.

“As they say, with a broom, if you pull out one, it will break. But if it’s united, you have a formidable force,” he said. “When we are united as a party, we are a strong force, but that is only the foundation.”

Mr Oppong Nkrumah stressed that the real challenge ahead is regaining the confidence of ordinary Ghanaians, particularly first-time voters.

“For us, we think that the bigger challenge is how to win back the love and the trust of the average Ghanaian,” he said.

The Offoase Ayirebi MP explained that the process begins with honesty and self-assessment.

“It starts with a lot of candour in what we did that went right, what we did that went wrong, and being able to communicate that to the Ghanaian people,” he said.

According to him, the party must be clear about what it would do differently if given another opportunity.

Dr Bawumia was declared the winner of the NPP flagbearer race after securing 56.48 per cent of the total votes cast, earning him the mandate to lead the party into the 2028 general elections.

But Mr Oppong Nkrumah argued that victory in the internal contest should not breed complacency.

He said the party is already undergoing reorganisation beyond campaign rhetoric.

“We are now going through a process of reorganising,” he said, pointing to constitutional amendments that formally establish a policy secretariat within the party.

“For the first time, we’ve literally set up a policy secretariat by constitutional fiat,” he noted, adding that the party is focused on populating it to ensure that ideas going into 2028 enjoy broad ideological support.

Addressing concerns about the margin of Dr Bawumia’s victory, Mr Oppong Nkrumah rejected comparisons with previous contests, describing each election as different.

He said the race structure, the number of candidates, and the voting format had all changed.

He noted that Dr Bawumia expanded his reach nationwide, winning 232 constituencies, up from 213 previously. For him, however, the most significant outcome was not the numbers but the message they sent.

“One of the good things is the fact that he doesn’t have, for example, a 95 per cent mandate in the party,” he said.

According to him, that reality compels broader consultation and sharper thinking.

“That always causes you to listen and consider all of the other opinions and ideas that are being expressed,” he said.

“You don’t go gung ho, because you’re of the view that you have everything under your belt.”

For Mr Oppong Nkrumah, that restraint could become an asset rather than a weakness.

“It is actually, for me, a blessing,” he said, arguing that it forces engagement, reflection, and refinement as the party prepares for 2028.