The choice before the NPP - Electability or extinction?

The NPP faces an existential decision, and it is one that will determine not only the outcome of the 2028 general elections, but also the survival, relevance, and generational strength of the party itself. The 2026 presidential primaries are not merely a contest of personalities. They represent a fork in the road, where one path leads to a competitive future and the other leads to political oblivion.

The party may celebrate its historical achievements, but history alone does not win elections. What will matter in 2028 is who the NPP presents as its leader, and whether that leader can genuinely inspire confidence in a new generation of voters. The political reality is that the candidate the party chooses will either revive the party’s fortunes or accelerate its decline into irrelevance.

And it must be stated plainly that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, despite his long service in government, will not be a competitive candidate in 2028 for the NPP. The terrain of the next election will be overwhelmingly centered on economy if NPP fields Dr. Bawumia. The NDC will lock the campaign narrative into a relentless audit of the last eight years, and it will be an audit in which Dr. Bawumia will be the primary subject. Whether fair or not, political perception is often stronger than nuanced economic explanation. The public associates him directly with the most difficult aspects of Ghana’s economic experience: Inflation, cedi depreciation, IMF intervention, and the debt restructuring that injured countless households. Repackaging or rebranding cannot erase this record from the minds of voters. The NDC knows this, and that is the battlefield they will fight on if Bawumia is their contender.

Some of Dr. Bawumia’s supporters argue (quietly but disturbingly) that the current NDC government will fail so that Bawumia will be framed as a corrective force by 2028. Such thinking is not only politically naïve but deeply unpatriotic. No citizen should wish for their country to deteriorate merely to give advantage to a preferred candidate. Parties cannot build political strategy on national collapse. A message premised on wishful failure of the ruling government is neither inspirational nor morally defensible.

If Dr. Bawumia is elected flagbearer, the NPP risks walking into an electoral defeat that could reshape the party for years. The consequences extend beyond losing power. A defeat in 2028 would push many of the party’s aging stalwarts into permanent political retirement. The emerging class of NDC appointees who are young, energetic, and being empowered today will dominate the next decade of Ghanaian politics, leaving the NPP without a corresponding generation of equipped, influential leaders. Under the Akufo-Addo administration, very few young NPP operatives were empowered with visibility, resources, or leadership opportunities. A second consecutive loss would widen this generational gap into a permanent chasm.

In contrast, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong offers the NPP an entirely different political pathway, one which is grounded not in defending the economic past, but in projecting a credible, job-centered future. He is not tied to the decisions of the Economic Management Team and therefore does not carry the burden of justifying Ghana’s economic performance under Akufo Addo. His political strength does not rest on theories or technocratic explanations, but on a track record of building businesses, creating employment, and demonstrating practical solutions.

His candidacy changes the narrative of 2028 from “economic blame” to “economic opportunity.”

From “defending the past” to “building the future.”

From “theory” to “delivery.”

And most importantly, from “party fatigue” to “grassroots renewal.”

Most significantly, Kennedy Agyapong’s appeal extends beyond traditional NPP boundaries. He resonates with youth who feel economically excluded, with floating voters who are tired of political rhetoric, and even with segments of the informal sector and parts of the opposition who admire his blunt honesty. No other NPP candidate has this cross-demographic reach.

Ken’s leadership offers the party something it lacked in the last election: A candidate whose message aligns with the urgent priorities of the electorate: jobs, fairness, opportunity, and national renewal. He represents a reset button for the party, a break from the old cycles of recycled appointments, entrenched networks, and internal elitism. His rise would signal a generational shift that strengthens the party’s future rather than anchoring it in the controversies of its past.

The reality is unavoidable: the NPP cannot win 2028 on economic arguments. But it can win on jobs. It can win on credibility. It can win on the fresh momentum and practical vision that Kennedy Agyapong embodies. This is the moment for NPP delegates to think beyond personal loyalties and immediate comforts. This is the moment to consider the survival of the party beyond one election cycle. Delegates must ask themselves a simple, strategic question: Do we want a flagbearer who must constantly defend the past, or one who can boldly sell the future?