The Chairman of the  New Patriotic Party (NPP) Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has cautioned flagbearer hopefuls against using private security groups or "machomen" during the party's presidential primary on Saturday.

He stressed that the Ghana Police Service had been tasked to provide security at the various polling stations across the country on the election day.

“There is no need for private security arrangements. If any group has engaged any private security, dismantle them now,” he said.

Mr Owusu-Agyemang was speaking at the signing of the party’s peace pact last Thursday in Accra.

It formed part of the Presidential Elections Committee's efforts to ensure a peaceful and harmonious primary process, flagbearer election slated for Saturday.

Conduct

The Chairman of the Council of Elders explained that the party’s peace, stability and unity depended greatly on the conduct of the aspirants.

He, therefore, urged all aspirants to place full trust in the PEC and the country’s established institutions, including the Ghana Police Service, stressing that private security arrangements were unnecessary.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman cautioned those with groups intending to create unrest to disband them immediately, reminding them that the party has consistently held peaceful elections since 1992.

He also advised the aspirants to avoid making allegations against the committee or the party after the polls, warning that such behaviour could weaken confidence and erode the unity painstakingly built over the years.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman also emphasised that true leadership required responsibility, restraint, and dedication to the collective good of the party.

He added that the signing ceremony and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were not symbolic gestures but a commitment to prioritise the party above personal ambition.

Ceremony

The aspirants are former Vice-President and 2024 presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong; Abetifi MP and former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Bryan Acheampong; Bosomtwe MP and former Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.

Several party leaders and state officials attended the ceremony, including the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin; Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno; former Chief of Staff,  Akosua Frema Osei Opare, and other senior party figures.