Ghana’s Ruling Party Begins Nationwide Vote to Select 2028 Presidential Candidate

Voting has commenced across Ghana as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) launches a nationwide internal election to choose its presidential flagbearer ahead of the country’s 2028 general polls.

Polling centres opened early on Saturday in constituencies across the capital, Accra, and in several regions nationwide, with party officials confirming that voting began smoothly. At the Jamestown Police Station in the Odododiodioo Constituency, 1,314 accredited delegates are expected to participate. Local electoral officials said logistical arrangements had been finalised ahead of the exercise.

In other parts of Accra, voting started at multiple locations including the Light Academy in Adentan, the Social Welfare Centre in Madina, and the Korle Bu Police Station in Ablekuma South.

Polls opened shortly after 7:00 a.m. at several centres, while others followed within minutes.
At Maranatha University College, 1,465 delegates are expected to cast their ballots, while two polling stations at Odorkor Saleria Basic Schools in Ablekuma North are serving a combined total of 1,482 delegates.

Voting has also been confirmed at New Gbawe in the Weija-Gbawe Constituency and at Dome Kwabenya, where polling began promptly in the early morning hours.
Outside the capital, voting is underway in the Western Region’s Effia Constituency, where over 500 delegates are registered to vote. Party officials reported that early ballots were cast under a visible security presence. Additional polling centres have opened in Teshie, Okaikwei Central, Ayawaso North, Bimbilla, and Sunyani East.

More than 211,000 delegates are expected to participate in the internal election across over 300 polling centres nationwide. Five contenders are vying for the party’s presidential nomination: former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Food and Agriculture Minister Dr Bryan Acheampong; former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum; former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyepong; and businessman Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.

The contest is widely seen as a pivotal moment for the NPP as it seeks to rebuild and reposition itself following its defeat in the 2024 general election. The outcome is expected to influence the party’s policy direction and electoral strategy ahead of the next national vote.

Security has been heightened across the country, with police officers deployed to polling centres to maintain order and ensure the integrity of the process. Party leaders have called on delegates to conduct themselves peacefully and to preserve unity once the results are announced