The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced a new process for selecting its parliamentary candidates ahead of the 2028 general elections, beginning with a declaration of interest by prospective aspirants from November 1 to 10, 2026.
The party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, announced the arrangement at a press conference at the NPP headquarters in Accra, explaining that the initiative forms part of efforts to introduce new approaches to candidate selection following lessons learnt from the party’s performance in the 2024 general elections.
Under the new arrangement, interested persons seeking to contest parliamentary seats on the NPP ticket will be required to submit their applications through a dedicated online portal and pay a fee of GH¢5,000.
Mr Kodua Frimpong stressed that the declaration of interest is only the first stage of the candidate selection process and does not amount to the formal opening of nominations.
He explained that the party intends to use the new approach to promote a peaceful, transparent and orderly process that will strengthen internal unity and improve the NPP’s chances of winning the 2028 elections.
According to the General Secretary, the party will open its online portal from November 1 to November 10, 2026, to allow prospective parliamentary aspirants to formally express their intention to seek nomination.
He urged interested persons to visit ppc.nppghana.org to complete the application process within the stipulated period.
The exercise, he explained, is designed to enable the party to identify individuals interested in becoming its parliamentary candidates before proceeding to the subsequent stages of the selection process.
Mr Kodua Frimpong said the party has decided to introduce the new procedure as part of efforts to rethink its internal electoral processes and adopt innovations that could contribute to a more successful campaign in 2028.
He noted that the party had drawn lessons from the 2024 general elections and considers it necessary to explore different approaches to selecting parliamentary candidates.
“This time around, the party has decided to come out with a new process in selecting our parliamentary candidates,” he said.
He added that the NPP is committed to ensuring that the process ultimately produced peaceful and united elections within the party.
As part of the new procedure, prospective aspirants will be required to pay an application fee of GH¢5,000 when submitting their declarations of interest.
The fee forms part of the initial administrative requirements for those seeking to be considered for nomination as parliamentary candidates on the NPP ticket.
The General Secretary indicated that the application process would also allow the party to undertake preliminary checks on prospective candidates to determine whether they meet the requirements established by the party’s constitution and the laws of Ghana.
He said the party is committed to ensuring that the candidate selection process is free, fair and transparent, with prospective aspirants assessed against the relevant eligibility requirements.
Mr Kodua Frimpong cautioned prospective aspirants against interpreting the declaration of interest exercise as permission to begin campaigning in their respective constituencies.
He emphasised that the party has not officially opened nominations and that the current exercise is limited to registering the intentions of individuals who wishes to contest parliamentary seats.
According to him, the declaration of interest is intended to serve as a preliminary step before the formal nomination process begins.
He therefore urged interested persons to comply with the party’s procedures and refrain from treating the exercise as an opportunity to launch constituency-level campaigns.
The clarification is intended to distinguish the initial registration of interest from the formal nomination stage, which will determine the process through which aspirants can seek to become the party’s official parliamentary candidates.
In addition to the declaration of interest exercise, the NPP has outlined plans for training and capacity-building workshops for prospective parliamentary aspirants across three geographical zones of the country.
Mr Kodua Frimpong announced that the country has been divided into the northern, middle and southern zones for the workshops, which are scheduled to take place in December 2026.
The programme will begin with the northern zone from December 1 to 4, followed by the middle zone from December 8 to 11.
The southern zone will hold its training and capacity-building workshop from December 15 to 18.
The workshops are expected to form part of the party’s preparations for the parliamentary candidate selection exercise.
The new arrangement reflects the NPP’s stated intention to review its internal processes and adopt measures aimed at reducing tensions during parliamentary candidate selection.
Internal parliamentary primaries can be highly competitive, particularly in constituencies where several aspirants seek to represent the party in a general election. The NPP’s latest announcement places emphasis on transparency, eligibility checks, capacity building and adherence to an established timetable.
Mr Kodua Frimpong maintained that the party’s objective is to ensure that the process contributes to a peaceful and united organisation capable of mounting a strong campaign in the 2028 general elections.
The party is expected to proceed to the next stages of the selection process after the declaration of interest exercise and the scheduled capacity-building workshops.
For now, prospective aspirants are expected to submit their expressions of interest between November 1 and 10, 2026, pay the stipulated GH¢5,000 fee and await further directives from the party.
The NPP has not yet announced the formal opening date for parliamentary nominations or the dates for the eventual primaries.
By 1960news.com
