Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has admitted that contesting the opposition party's presidential primaries will be a difficult race.

While engaging the press on Tuesday, July 29, he justified his remarks by citing former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as an individual who has gained recognition for more than 16 years, with massive support from party members.

“It’s going to be tough. I’m not making any bones about it. One of my competitors has been a vice president; he’s been at the top for 16 years, and he enjoys significant visibility and name recognition. I’ve been out of the picture for 10 years, but the kind of support I’m getting from the party’s grassroots is strong," he stated.

However, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong believes that grassroots support and his 10 years of experience will win the confidence of delegates, adding, “They remember I was one of the young men who helped build this party from scratch. Mind you, I’m the only one among the aspirants who has been elected as General Secretary.”

Several prominent party figures have already publicly signaled their intent to contest, including former Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum; Member of Parliament for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong; and former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong.

The NPP on Tuesday, July 29, opened nominations for its 2028 flagbearer position. Aspirants will pay a whopping amount of GHC100,000 for nomination forms and GHC500,000 as filing fee.

"Any member of the party wishing to apply for nomination as the party's presidential candidate will obtain the nomination forms after paying a non-refundable Nomination Fee of One Hundred Thousand Cedis (GHc100,000) in Banker's Draft in favour of the NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY HEADQUARTERS, ACCRA.

"The filing fee for the presidential nomination is five hundred thousand Ghana Cedis (GHc500,000) to be paid in banker's draft in favour of the NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, ACCRA," a part of the party's statement signed by General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua, read.

Nomination forms may be obtained from the Office of the General Secretary at the Party Headquarters, Asylum Down, from now to August 28. An aspiring presidential candidate shall be required to pay a development fee as determined by the National Council.

This comes after the opposition party, National Democratic Congress (NDC), officially released its presidential primaries timetable on Friday, July 25, following a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

The statement informed interested candidates to pick up their forms by Tuesday. It also noted that by August 28, all forms should have been submitted, as the party is expected to move into the vetting mode by September, approximately a month after they close the flagbearer nomination.

“Nominations will be opened on July 29, 2025, for all persons interested in contesting for the flagbearer to pick their forms. Vetting will be conducted from September 15 to 22, and the election to choose our flagbearer will be held on January 31, 2026.”

The National Executive Committee has urged both candidates and supporters to uphold the tenets of the party to uphold peace and harmony.

“All aspirants and their supporters are reminded to uphold the values of the party and refrain from divisive conduct during the campaign period.”

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, former vice president and the NPP’s flagbearer in the 2024 election, is widely considered the frontrunner, followed by the former Assin North Member of Parliament and Kennedy Agyapong, a former contender for the flagbearer primaries.

The former vice president has already declared his intention to run again. His popularity among the party’s grassroots is strong, and recent endorsements have added momentum to his campaign.

The earlier-than-usual opening of nominations for the flagbearer position, according to the party, forms part of their restructuring and strategic measures taken to ensure transparency and discipline in the selection process, as well as give ample time to the flagbearer to engage members, stakeholders, and other members of the international community to set the required tone for the 2028 elections.

The nominations’ opening comes about six months ahead of the party’s presidential primaries, scheduled for January 31, 2026. Ahead of the 2016 general elections, the NPP opened nominations in March 2014 and held flagbearer elections on October 18, 2024, marking 25 months ahead of the elections.

However, in 2025, they have declared nomination openings in July and a primary set for January 2026, which is about 35 months ahead of the presidential elections.

According to the party’s constitution, it is required that at least six months’ notice be given ahead of the primaries.

The NPP's presidential race is expected to be an intense one this time around. Kennedy Agyapong’s position as the strongest contender for Dr. Bawumia has been complemented by a recent survey conducted by Sanity Africa, a Pan-African civil society organisation, between April and June 2025, which showed Kennedy Agyapong leading with 51.4% delegate support, ahead of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who had 42.2%.

Ahead of the flagbearership race, Ken Agyapong has received prophecies about his victory. Ahead of the last two years' presidential primaries, the four candidates Dr. Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong, former Food and Agriculture Minister Dr. Owusu Akoto Afriyie, and former Member of Parliament for Mampong Francis Addai-Nimoh, who vied for the flagbearer position, signed an agreement stating that following the primaries, "candidates will accept election primary results, promote peace and cohesion."

In the NPP's previous presidential primaries in November 2023, Dr. Bawumia secured 61.47% of the total votes from nearly 200,000 NPP delegates, emerging as the victor, while Ken Agyapong secured about 37.41%. Dr Bawumia held a meeting with his closest contender at his residence in Accra.

After being announced as the NPP's 2024 presidential candidate, Kennedy Agyapong threw his support behind Dr Bawumia. “So, party members, we should put everything behind us, and let’s unite this party…, I believe we can break the eight, and that’s what I’ve been preaching,” Kennedy Agyapong said.

Dr Bawumia lost the 2024 presidential election. John Dramani Mahama, who ran on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), bagged 6,328,397 valid votes, representing 56.55%, and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia secured 4,657,304 votes, representing 41.61%.

Meanwhile, ahead of the pending flagbearership race, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has received backing from 268 former Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), who visited him in June to pledge their support.

“Following extensive consultations with all aspirants, and after a thorough assessment of their vision, competence, and commitment to the NPP’s progress, we are convinced beyond any doubt that Dr. Bawumia is the best candidate to lead the NPP to victory in 2028.

“Our endorsement is not merely symbolic; it is a strategic and operational commitment. With 95% of us having previously served as constituency and regional executives—some for over 16 years—we possess an intimate understanding of the NPP’s structures, dynamics, and electoral needs. We will deploy this experience to ensure Dr. Bawumia’s message resonates in every corner of Ghana,” the MMDCEs said in their statement after the engagement.

Also, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia on June 19 received 60 Members of Parliament from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who announced their endorsement of his bid for the party's flagbearership position. The delegation ended up having an in-camera meeting with the 2024 flagbearer.The delegation included former Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam; Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah; Member of Parliament for Akuapem North Sammi Awuku; Techiman South legislator Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah; Habib Iddrisu, the Member of Parliament for Tolon; Member of Parliament for Assin South, Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, and Nana Adjei Baffour Awuah, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South.