The process has already been skewed in favor of Nana Addo’s preferred successor, Dr. Bawumia – Abraham Amaliba

This man is simply not being truthful when he says he did not intend to contest. The decision was clearly made during the interview, even if the message later came out differently. If you truly believe in party unity, then come out and speak honestly within the party. What happens if Dr. Bawumia wins tomorrow? Statements like these only hand ammunition to the NDC. They make it extremely difficult for the NPP to rally everyone behind a single cause after the contest.

Conflict has caused serious damage to the NPP. Today, the party resembles a wrecked ship. And if you look closely, the seeds of this conflict were planted from the very first day the National Council decided to maintain the same delegates who voted in the last election as delegates for this one.

That decision marked the beginning of the problem. It skewed the entire contest in favor of the former vice president. Other aspirants were denied the opportunity to campaign at the grassroots level to influence who would become delegates. We all know that when party reorganization begins, presidential hopefuls mobilize from the ground up. That opportunity was completely cut off for the other candidates.

Because these are the same delegates who voted previously, and because Dr. Bawumia has not antagonized them since then, what logical basis is there for them to suddenly make a 360-degree turn? It is simply not realistic. He did not go back to insult them or demand back any support he had given. His relationship with them remains intact. So the outcome was largely predetermined.

Unity, however, does not come from signing documents. Unity is a matter of the heart—just like peace, truth, or even wickedness. You cannot ignore the pain people feel and then expect that calling them to sign an agreement will suddenly change everything. Yes, people will sign for optics, but it is the heart that ultimately governs behavior.

Look at what happened yesterday. The main contenders are Dr. Bawumia and Ken Agyapong. Before the peace pact, there were open accusations, claims of bribery, and harsh exchanges from both camps. When political discourse moves from debating competence and track record to outright insults—calling each other liars and dragging personal histories into the open—it tells you how deep the anger runs.

When people move from policy arguments to personal attacks, it means the conflict has gone beyond surface level. I say this from professional experience. You can feel the anger when you are in the room. This is no longer just political rivalry; it is personal hostility.

Even after the signing, the tension did not disappear. I monitored the radio discussions and still heard subtle jabs between representatives of both camps. This shows that the conflict has spread beyond the candidates themselves and has deeply infected their supporters.

If the NPP is truly serious about peace, then they must do more than sign documents. One difficult but necessary step would be to allow President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take a back seat. The level of public anger associated with his administration is extremely high. Not in any legal sense, but politically and emotionally, he has become a lightning rod for public frustration.

In conflict-heavy situations like this, perception matters. You need figures who can calm tensions, not inflame them. The party was fortunate to have figures like former President Kufuor who could help steady the ship, yet he was not adequately positioned to play that role.

In my view, the process has already been skewed in favor of Nana Addo’s preferred successor, Dr. Bawumia. The peace pact will not, on its own, bring peace. And finally, it would be in the strategic interest of the NPP for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to step back from the centre stage as the party navigates this highly charged internal contest.

By Nana Boateng