The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Presidential Election Committee (PEC) has ruled that members who forfeited their party membership by contesting or campaigning against official NPP candidates will not be allowed to vote or hold previous positions in the upcoming presidential primaries.
Announcing the directive on Thursday, November 6, 2025, PEC Chairman Joseph Osei Owusu, the former MP for Bekwai, explained that such individuals automatically lose their membership and must undergo the full re-entry process before regaining any party privileges.
He clarified that the party’s recent amnesty applies only to members who were under disciplinary sanctions—not to those who voluntarily renounced their membership through disloyal acts.
“You lose membership when you contest against a party candidate or campaign for an opponent. It’s automatic,” Mr. Osei Owusu stated. “If you’ve forfeited your membership, you must apply to rejoin. Even then, you start afresh and cannot hold any position or voting right for two years.”
The ruling effectively disqualifies several individuals—particularly those who ran as independent candidates in the 2024 elections—from participating as delegates in the January 2026 presidential primaries.
Mr. Osei Owusu confirmed that preparations for the primaries are on schedule, with the final voter album set to be presented to the five approved presidential aspirants on November 13, 2025.
The cleared candidates are:
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Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Former Vice President
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Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Former NPP General Secretary
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Dr. Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Agriculture and MP for Abetifi
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Kennedy Agyapong, Former MP for Assin Central
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Dr. Osei Adutwum, Former Education Minister
The PEC’s decision underscores the committee’s strict adherence to the NPP constitution and is expected to shape the composition of an electoral college of over 200,000 delegates nationwide.
