NPP Warns MP Aspirants: Campaign Early, Lose Your Chance

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has ordered all prospective parliamentary aspirants to immediately stop campaigning, warning that anyone who flouts the directive could be barred from contesting.

In a statement signed by General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, and issued on Sunday October 11, 2026, the Party said it had received numerous complaints that some members with parliamentary ambitions had already begun campaigning in various constituencies across the country even when nominations have not opened.

The directive said the ban on parliamentary candidate campaign takes immediate effect and applies to prospective parliamentary aspirants, their agents, and supporters.

What EXACTLY is banned?

The NPP General Secretary, in the statement explained what exactly the Party has asked prospective parliamentary aspirants to stop doing. The statement specifically mentioned the mounting posters, billboards, banners and other branded materials. It mentioned organising rallies, polling station executives’meetings or tours for the purpose of soliciting support. It mentioned distributing items or other inducements to delegates and Party members. It mentioned paid media and social media advertising promoting a candidature.

The statement said Party officers at the polling station, electoral area, constituency, regional and national levels, including TESCON, are also “forbidden entirely” from posting any parliamentary aspirant on social media platforms such as Facebook, X and Instagram, or enabling such activities.

Sanctions

“Any person who fails to comply will be dealt with in accordance with the Party’s disciplinary procedures, which may affect their eligibility to contest,” the statement warned.

Constituency and regional executives have been directed to ensure strict compliance within their jurisdictions.

The Party said it will announce the timetable and guidelines for its parliamentary processes “in due course.”

The directive is likely to unsettle several aspirants who have already begun informal consultations and public appearances in their constituencies, particularly in seats where sitting MPs are expected to face tough primaries.

Why the action

According to the statement, the early campaigning is “contrary to the Party’s regulations and Code of Conduct” and “creates an uneven playing field and undermines the unity and discipline on which the Party’s success depends.”

The directive comes just eight days after the NPP held its National Delegates Conference in Kumasi, where new national executives were elected. Party insiders had indicated that the leadership was keen to move quickly on parliamentary preparations to avoid the internal friction that has plagued previous primary cycles.

It also follows the Party’s significant losses in the 2024 general elections, when its parliamentary representation dropped from 137 seats to 88. A report by the Prof. Mike Oquaye Committee, which investigated the defeat, was submitted to the National Council in April 2025 and has since been the subject of internal deliberations. The National Council subsequently constituted a nine-member committee to review the party’s constitution, partly based on the Oquaye report’s findings.

The directive is likely to unsettle several hopeful aspirants who have already begun informal consultations and public appearances in their constituencies. At least one aspirant, Alois Kog Kyaakpier Mohl, declared his intention to contest the Nandom seat in the Upper West Region as far back as September.

The NPP’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has publicly advocated for a “winnable candidate search” strategy aimed at identifying individuals with strong electoral appeal, arguing that some aspirants can win primaries because they have money but cannot win general elections. The Party has maintained that this initiative will run alongside its existing primary processes.

The directive is likely to be tested in the coming weeks as the party prepares to release its parliamentary primaries timetable. For now, the message from the party’s headquarters is unambiguous: the starting gun has not been fired.