The next presidential election in Ghana is slated for December 7, 2028.

That is roughly three and a half years away.

It allows Ghana’s two main political parties – the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ample time to select their flag bearers for the race.

Each party faces a different kind of political calculus.

For the NDC, President John Mahama is term limited which means the party needs a new candidate capable of leading them into victory and extending their term in office for another four years. In that way, the traditional eight years for each party is maintained.

For the NPP, and from the various conversations I have followed on both social and traditional media spaces, the political dilemma is whether to maintain the candidate from the 2024 election (Dr Bawumia) or elect a new flag bearer.

The presidential primary scheduled for January 31, 2026, will help the party resolve this.

A primary too early?

Is the party holding the primary too early, considering when the next presidential election is?

The year of selecting presidential candidates when the party did not have an incumbent President seeking re-election has varied – 1992 elections (1992); 1996 elections (1996); 2000 elections (1998); 2008 elections (2007); 2012 elections (2010); 2016 elections (2014); and 2024 elections (2023). In terms of the length of time between the presidential primary and the general election, selecting a flag bearer two years ahead of the next election is not unheard of.

There are several reasons why parties choose specific lengths of time in selecting their flag bearer for a general election.

One commonly heard reason is having enough time to market the candidate to the good people of Ghana. But some of these candidates presented by the party have not been strangers to the Ghanaian people (Kufuor in 2000 and especially Akuffo Addo in 2008, 2012 and 2016).

Reservations

My reservation at the January 2026 date for presidential primaries is out of concern regarding whether the lessons of 2024 elections and the required reforms have been fully addressed.

The party commissioned an election review committee under the chairmanship of Prof. Mike Ocquaye.

Although the contents of the report were not made public, the Director of Communications of the party, in various media appearances, indicated that the committee did make recommendations for some reforms.

One reform mentioned is the expansion of the electoral college.

If the recommendations from the committee have not been fully implemented, then it begs the question of whether the party is placing the cart before the horse.

Perhaps the recommendations are not binding or critical to strengthening the party in preparation for the next election.

Whatever the case is, it is my hope that the party is motivated by all the right reasons for scheduling the primary before any necessary structural reforms on the back of their performance in the 2024 election.

Who wins?

Officially and unofficially, the names so far are Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (2024 flag bearer), Kennedy Agyepong (runner-up in the 2024 primary), Dr Bryan Acheampong and Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum. It is tempting to speculate that Dr Bawumia, former Vice-President and 2024 flag bearer, leads the race.

However, from the many conversations I have followed, I err on the side of caution and simply say that it will be interesting to see what the party delegates decide to do.

For the candidates, it is going to be a long seven months of campaigning.

Some thoughts

Here are some thoughts as the party prepares for this contest. First, retaining a party’s losing candidate from an election for the next election, should this happen in January 2026 will not be new.

Former presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo were both general election losing candidates but were chosen to lead the party again in subsequent elections.

Sure, a precedent set does not necessarily mean that precedent must be followed but the point is worth nothing.

Second, it is my fervent hope that the contest, while activating the competitive nature of all contestants and their supporters, does not degenerate into bringing out the worst impulses in people. I am genuinely worried.

My concern is simply this – intraparty competition is great, but it also provides armour for one’s political rivals.

As I said to a good friend, party primaries must not be fought as though the real political rival is within the party.

It must be fought with full knowledge that the real political rival is the NDC candidate the party will have to face in the general election.

Lastly, unity is often stressed by our political parties in the lead-up to any election and I agree.

Part of that unity though will also depend on how the party manages and resolves all grievances especially post primary.

The party has my very best wishes.

The writer is the Project Director, Democracy Project.