“Peace does not happen by accident” — Afenyo-Markin urges NPP unity ahead of January 31 primaries

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has cautioned New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirants that disunity after the party’s January 31 primaries could come at a heavy political cost, warning that internal fractures could weaken the party’s effectiveness in Parliament and jeopardise its chances in the 2028 general elections.

Speaking on Thursday in Accra at the signing of a Peace Pact by five NPP presidential hopefuls, the Effutu MP described life in opposition as “painful and lonely,” stressing that only a united party can mount a formidable challenge both in Parliament and at the national level.

“Peace does not happen by accident. It is the product of deliberate effort,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said, urging the aspirants to conduct issue-based, respectful campaigns and to commit themselves to rallying behind whoever emerges victorious.

He emphasised that the real success of the primaries should not be measured by individual triumph, but by the extent to which the process strengthens party cohesion and empowers the Minority Caucus in Parliament.

“A house divided at the grassroots and within the leadership cannot function as a formidable opposition,” he warned, adding that unity must be consciously built before, during and after the primaries.

The Peace Pact, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), is intended to reassure party members, delegates and the wider public of the NPP’s commitment to internal democracy, orderly competition and cohesion.

It reflects the aspirants’ collective resolve to place party interest above personal ambition.

The five aspirants who signed the pact were former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; former Assin Central MP and businessman Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; former Minister for Food and Agriculture Dr Bryan Acheampong; former Minister for Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum; and former NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.

Each received a signed copy of the MoU as a symbol of their pledge to uphold peace throughout the process.

The ceremony was organised by the party’s Presidential Elections Committee, chaired by former First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and ex-MP for Bekwai, Joseph Osei Owusu.

It marks a significant step in the NPP’s preparations for a peaceful and credible primary as the party repositions itself for the 2028 general elections.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith