Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has urged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to maintain civility in the run-up to the party’s presidential primary in January 2026, stressing that the contest should focus on ideas rather than personal attacks.

Addressing some NPP youth organisers who presented his flagbearer nomination forms to him on Wednesday, August 13, Dr Bawumia called for a campaign grounded in respect.

“I want this flagbearership election to be conducted with decorum. We’re not in a campaign of insults, and we should not be in a campaign of insults. It should be about ideas. And that is what will capture the imagination of Ghanaians,” he said.

He urged aspirants and their supporters to prioritise solutions over smear tactics. 

“What ideas do we have? What are we bringing to the table? How are we going to solve the problems Ghanaians face? As a party, I admonish everybody, all the aspirants and our supporters, that let us focus on marketing or selling our respective aspirants.”

Dr Bawumia warned that negative campaigning would weaken the NPP and hand its rivals an advantage. “When we bring down other people, we bring down the party. Our messages will be taken by our opponents, and they will use them against us.”

The former Vice President pledged to lead by example. “I will not, and you will never hear me insulting any aspirants. Because when this election is over, we have to contest a general election. And if we divide ourselves today, we will have difficulty in uniting for a general election tomorrow. So, let us begin the process with unity, and end with unity because that will bring victory in 2028.”