Lawyer Sylvester Isang, a parliamentary hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Nandom, has warned against any attempt by the party to impose parliamentary candidates on constituencies ahead of the 2028 general elections, insisting that the party’s constitution must guide the selection process.
He says no individual or party organ has the authority to bypass the constitutional procedures governing the election of parliamentary candidates, urging the party’s leadership to allow all qualified aspirants to contest the primaries.
Mr Isang made the position clear in a statement issued on Sunday, October 18, 2026, following reports that the NPP had begun a nationwide search for prospective parliamentary candidates considered capable of winning seats in the 2028 elections.
The search was announced by the party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on October 4, as part of efforts to identify candidates with stronger prospects of winning general elections rather than relying exclusively on the outcome of internal primaries.
Dr Bawumia said the party would conduct assessments across constituencies and compare findings from independent sources to identify potential candidates, arguing that some aspirants could win primaries through financial strength but fail to secure victory in the general election.
However, Mr Isang has stressed that any such exercise must not override the constitutional process for selecting the party’s parliamentary candidates.
“The Constitution of the NPP is the Supreme Internal Law of the NPP. In fact, the Presidential Candidate who is now the Leader of the Party is under this Constitution. So is the National Executive Committee,” he stated.
Cites Article 12 of NPP constitution
Mr Isang relied on Article 12 of the NPP constitution, which outlines the procedures and eligibility requirements for selecting parliamentary candidates.
The provision states that no party member may be nominated or endorsed as the NPP’s parliamentary candidate unless the person has been selected in accordance with the article.
It also provides for the advertisement of the selection process 18 months before the national elections, with a one-month advertisement period in the constituency, and requires parliamentary candidates to be elected not later than 12 months before the general election.
The constitution further outlines eligibility conditions for aspirants, including party membership, good character, good standing and compliance with applicable electoral laws, subject to specified exceptions.
Under the provision, the parliamentary candidate is elected by a defined group of delegates drawn from constituency and electoral area executives, polling station executives, party elders, patrons and other eligible party officials and former officeholders.
Mr Isang argued that these provisions leave no room for any individual to impose a candidate outside the prescribed process.
“There is no provision anywhere in the NPP’s Constitution which says that NEC has the power to impose any Candidate in any of the constituencies,” he said.
He cautioned that imposing a candidate would undermine the party’s internal democratic principles and potentially expose it to avoidable disputes.
“Any act of imposing any person as the Party’s Parliamentary Candidate would be incongruous, absurd, and an overthrow of the Party’s Constitution,” he added.
Warns against litigation ahead of 2028
The Nandom parliamentary hopeful also cautioned the party against taking decisions in pursuit of electoral gains that could deepen internal divisions and weaken its chances of winning seats in 2028.
He said the NPP should not allow its determination to increase its parliamentary representation and recapture political power to justify decisions that conflict with its constitution.
“We cannot because of our desire to increase our representation in parliament and to capture power come 2028 take any hocus pocus decision which might rather further diminish our representation and cause us all dearly,” he stated.
Mr Isang maintained that the candidate search exercise should not prevent qualified members from presenting themselves to delegates for consideration.
“Research or no research wherever people who meet the requirements are desirous of contesting all should be allowed to present themselves before the delegates,” he said.
He urged party stakeholders to respect the constitutional procedures to avoid unnecessary legal disputes that could distract the NPP from its preparations for the 2028 elections.
“Let’s avoid needless litigation on matters that the constitution of the party has clearly provided the way forward,” he added.
The statement places the question of candidate selection in Nandom and the remaining 275 constituencies within a broader debate over how the NPP intends to balance its search for electorally competitive candidates with its established internal election procedures ahead of the next general election.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
