New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has dismissed claims that the party chooses its leaders based on tribal considerations, stressing that the party’s tradition has never been built on ethnic or regional lines.
Speaking at Lapaz in Accra, on October 3, as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region ahead of the party’s January 31 presidential primaries, Dr. Bawumia said attempts to involve tribal propaganda in the race were unfounded and contrary to the party’s history.
“For this tribal propaganda, I want to make it clear that we don’t vote on tribal lines. It is not part of our tradition,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia traced the party’s history to 1957 during the era of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, when the Avoidance of Discrimination Act led to the formation of the United Party (UP) to unite various regional parties
He noted that after the formation of the UP, the Northern People’s Party, led by S.D. Dombo had the largest number of seats in Parliament with 13, while Dr. K.A. Busia’s Ghana Congress Party had only one seat. However, Dr. Busia was made leader of the United Party.
“Normally, Dombo should have been the leader of the UP, but the Northern People’s Party agreed for Busia to lead because they saw him as the one who could help UP attain political power,” Dr. Bawumia explained.
