Pollster and Executive Director of Global Info Analytics, Mussa Dankwa, says the biggest threat to unity within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after its flagbearer contest does not lie at the grassroots level.

He was emphatic that it is among the key figures at the top of rival campaign teams.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Dankwa said polling data show strong optimism among party delegates about unity, but warned that unresolved leadership-level tensions could undermine that hope.

“The polling data shows that about 88% of NPP delegates are hopeful that there will be unity in the party,” he said, adding that “the problem is not them.”

According to him, the real challenge is higher up the political structure.

“The problem will be at the top level of the campaigns,” he said, stressing that unity among leaders is critical to stabilising the party.

The pollster said that once the leading figures are reconciled, tensions at the base will naturally ease.

“Once we are able to reconcile them, I don’t think there’ll be a problem at the bottom,” he said.

He argued that the next phase of the party’s recovery depends on the posture adopted by the main contenders and their camps following the contest.

Mr Dankwa questioned what roles key actors intend to play as the party prepares for the 2028 general elections.

“Now, moving forward, how do you do that?” he asked. “What role does Ken Agyapong want to play going forward? What role does Bryan want to play in the campaign going forward?”

According to Mussa Dankwa, these decisions must be guided by a clear demonstration of unity.

“They must be seen to have put a sense of unity above everything else,” he said.

He warned that the stakes are too high for internal divisions.

“For where NPP is now, they don’t need any division in their ranks to really face the NDC going forward,” he said.

While expressing hope that both camps would rise above post-contest emotions, Mr Dankwa admitted to concerns about lingering resentment, particularly among those close to one of the defeated candidates.

“I believe, and I sincerely hope, that both camps would do that,” he said, before adding, “but what sometimes you get to feel is that people around Ken’s team are a lot more bitter.”

The comments come in the aftermath of the NPP’s flagbearer race, which saw Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia emerge victorious.

Dr Bawumia was declared the winner by the Electoral Commission after securing 56.48 per cent of the total votes cast, earning him the party’s mandate to lead it into the 2028 general elections.

His closest contender, former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, placed second with 46,554 votes, representing 23.76 per cent.

The outcome has shifted attention from the contest itself to how quickly the party can heal internal rifts and present a united front ahead of what is expected to be a fiercely contested election.