NPP to scout parliamentary candidates to win more seats in 2028 – Bawumia

• Dr Mahamudu Bawumia says the NPP will conduct candidate searches across constituencies ahead of the 2028 election.

• He says the party will prioritise candidates who can win general elections, not only those who can win parliamentary primaries.

• The NPP lost 49 parliamentary seats in the 2024 election, falling from 137 seats in 2020 to 88.

The NPP suffered a major setback in the 2024 parliamentary election, reducing its representation from 137 seats in 2020 to 88 seats. The party lost 49 seats, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) won 183 seats to secure a clear majority in Parliament.

Speaking about the party’s preparations for the next election, Dr Bawumia said the NPP would not rely solely on its internal parliamentary primaries to select candidates.

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He said the party would conduct candidate searches across constituencies to identify individuals with the best chance of winning in the general election.

“We are going to do a candidate search across all the constituencies, because some people can win parliamentary primaries because they have money, but they can’t win the general elections,” he said.

“If you leave it to them, they will win the primary, but you’ve lost the seat.”

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According to Dr Bawumia, the candidate search is intended to give the party an independent assessment of potential parliamentary candidates before the primaries are held.

“Candidate search is going on and we’re going to have more than one candidate search from independent sources. And we’ll compare what they are saying,” he said.

Dr Bawumia also said the NPP would seek to organise its parliamentary primaries as early as possible to allow the party to complete its internal elections ahead of the 2028 general election.

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“We are going to also be looking to try to have our parliamentary elections as soon as possible, so that NPP will be done with internal elections,” he said.

The former Vice President said the approach would form part of the party’s broader efforts to strengthen its preparations for the 2028 election.

The NPP’s 2024 parliamentary losses marked a significant decline from its position after the 2020 election, when it secured 137 seats. The party will therefore be seeking to identify candidates capable of not only winning internal contests but also defeating their opponents in the general election.

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Dr Bawumia’s comments signal a greater emphasis on electability as the NPP prepares to select parliamentary candidates for the next election.