Meet the five New Patriotic Party flagbearer hopefuls heading to the polls on Saturday
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will head to the polls on Saturday, January 31, 2026, to elect a new flagbearer as it prepares for a return to power following its defeat in the 2024 general elections.
A total of 211,849 delegates are expected to vote across all constituency centres nationwide and at the party’s National Headquarters, with polls opening from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The five aspirants, who have all signed a peace pact pledging clean campaigning and unity after the contest, bring varied political, professional, and ideological backgrounds to the race.
Below are the five candidates, presented in order of their position on the ballot.
1. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is a prominent Ghanaian politician, businessman, and a long-serving Member of Parliament. He is known as an outspoken anti-corruption campaigner, and has built a reputation as a blunt, no-nonsense political actor.
He was born on June 16, 1960, in Assin Dompim in the Central Region.
He attended Adisadel College and Winneba Secondary School, and later studied Economics at Fordham University in New York, United States.
He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the 2000 general elections and retained his seat in the 2004 and 2008 elections. Following the creation of the Assin Central Constituency, he won parliamentary elections there in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
He did not seek re-election in 2024, choosing instead to pursue his presidential ambitions.
During his time in Parliament, Ken Agyapong served as Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee, Chairman of the Communications Committee, and Chairman of the Local Government and Rural Development Committee, and was also a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Special Budget Committee.
Beyond politics, he is often cited as one of Ghana’s wealthiest individuals, with business interests spanning media, Coastline Logistics, Platinum Plastics, real estate, and cold storage.
He is the Chief Executive Officer of Kencity Media, which operates Net 2 TV, Oman FM, Ash FM, and Spice FM, and is linked to companies such as Supercare Group, Hollywood Shopping Centre, and Assin Farms.
Ken Agyapong placed second in the 2023 New Patriotic Party presidential primaries, losing to Mahamudu Bawumia, and formally declared his intention to contest the 2028 flagbearership in 2025.
His 2028 campaign, branded #Ken2028, centres on job creation, discipline, and economic transformation, while continuing his signature anti-corruption messaging.
2. Dr. Bryan Acheampong
Dr. Bryan Acheampong is a prominent Ghanaian politician, entrepreneur, and academic who currently serves as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Abetifi. He has served as Member of Parliament for the constituency since 2016 and has held several key ministerial portfolios.
He was born on November 27, 1972, in Suhum in the Eastern Region. He attended Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC), Legon.
He holds a PhD in Information Systems from the University of Ghana, as well as an MBA and Bachelor of Science degree from Johnson & Wales University.
He obtained a Master of Arts degree in Security and Intelligence from the University of Leicester, a Master of Laws degree from the University of Law in the United Kingdom, and is currently pursuing a second PhD in Security and Intelligence at the University of Buckingham.
Dr. Acheampong served in the United States Air Force in the early 2000s, during which time he received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
In government, he served as Minister of State at the Ministry of National Security from April 2017 to February 2020, Minister of State at the Ministry of the Interior from February 2020 to January 2021, and later as Minister for Food and Agriculture from February 2023 to January 2025, where he oversaw the implementation of Planting for Food and Jobs Phase 2.0.
He is the founder of the Bryan Acheampong Foundation, which has provided scholarships to more than 200 students.
He is also the founder of the Rock City Hotel and Chief Executive Officer of INTU-Group, a technology company involved in digital payment systems for Ghana’s public sector.
He formally declared his intention to contest the New Patriotic Party’s 2028 presidential primaries in June 2025, positioning himself as a candidate focused on party unity and rebuilding.
3. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is an economist and politician who served as Vice President of Ghana from 2017 to 2025, under the leadership of former president Nana Akufo-Addo.
He was born on October 7, 1963, in Tamale in the Northern Region and attended Tamale Senior High School.
Between 1982 and 1984, he studied at the Emile Woolf College of Accountancy in London, where he earned the Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (ACIB) qualification.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Buckingham in 1987, a Master of Science degree in Development Economics from Oxford University in 1988, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Economics from Simon Fraser University in Canada in 1995.
Before entering active politics, Dr. Bawumia served as Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2006 to 2009, where he was involved in the redenomination of the cedi and the development of Ghana’s monetary policy framework.
He later served as Resident Representative of the African Development Bank in Zimbabwe from 2011 to 2012.
He was also an Assistant Professor of Economics at Baylor University between 1996 and 2000, and a Visiting Professor at Central University in Ghana.
As Vice President, he chaired the Economic Management Team and led the government’s Digital Ghana Agenda, which included initiatives such as the Ghana Card, Digital Address System, and Mobile Money Interoperability.
He was the New Patriotic Party’s presidential candidate in the 2024 general elections, but lost to John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress.
His current campaign is focused on internal party reform, grassroots empowerment, and positioning the party for a return to power.
4. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum is an educator and politician who has served as Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe and as Minister of Education.
He was born on April 9, 1964, and hails from Jachie in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region. He attended Jachie-Pramso Senior High School and Kumasi High School.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Land Economy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1990.
In 1996, he earned a Postgraduate Diploma in Teaching from Chapman University, followed by a Master of Education degree in Education Management from the University of La Verne in 1997.
He completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Policy, Planning and Administration at the University of Southern California in 2007.
Dr. Adutwum spent about 26 years in the United States working as an educator and education entrepreneur.
There, taught Mathematics and Information Technology at Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles for about a decade and founded the International Studies Academy. In 2004, he established the New Designs Charter Schools in South Los Angeles, which expanded to multiple campuses serving more than 1,200 students.
He returned to Ghana in 2017 inspired after a meeting with Nana Akufo-Addo to serve as Deputy Minister for Education, and was recognised as the Best Performing Deputy Minister by research bodies like FAKS Investigative Services.
He later became Minister of Education from 2021 to early 2025.
During his tenure, he oversaw the introduction of the Double Track System under the Free SHS programme, the establishment of 35 STEM senior high schools and five STEM universities, and the rollout of a one-year pre-engineering programme.
He also established the Yaw Osei Adutwum Foundation, which has provided scholarships for over 150 students in engineering and medicine.
His campaign is built around the theme “Hope for All”, with a focus on education, innovation, and economic transformation.
5. Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong
Ing. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong is a civil engineer, politician, and former broadcaster.
He was born on March 6, 1962, in Kumasi, and is the son of Justice Kwadwo Agyei Agyepong, one of the three High Court judges murdered in 1982. He attended Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1986 and later obtained a Master of Science degree in Water and Environmental Engineering from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.
He is also a Fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineering and a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Between 1986 and 1992, he worked with the Ghana Highway Authority as a Materials and Quality Control Engineer.
In 1992, he co-founded Constro Consult Limited, a civil engineering consultancy that has worked on major projects, including the extension of the runway at Kotoka International Airport.
He became widely known in the 1990s as the host of Sports Highlights on GTV, anchoring coverage of the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Olympic Games, as well as several Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
He later served as spokesperson for President John Agyekum Kufuor from 2001 to 2006.
In 2014, he was elected General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party. Although he was suspended from the party in 2015, he later returned to active participation. His flagbearer bid is anchored on what he calls the “New Dawn Agenda”, focused on national renewal, integrity, and a return to the party’s founding principles.
