Bawumia Camp Denies Giving Cash to Delegates During NPP Presidential Primary
- Mahamudu Bawumia's campaign team denied allegations of vote-buying during the NPP presidential primaries
- Sammi Awuku, one of his advisors, insisted that no payments were made to delegates amid social media claims
- Dr Bawumia won the election with 56.48% of the votes and will lead the NPP as its flagbearer in the 2028 general election
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New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Mahamudu Bawumia's campaign team has refuted accusations of vote-buying in the presidential primary he won on January 31.
Sammi Awuku, a senior adviser for the former vice president's campaign team, said that he was not aware of any payments made to delegates to secure the outcome.
Source: Facebook
Awuku responded to the claims that some delegates at certain voting centres had been promised cash by coordinators associated with some of the flagbearer camps during an interview on Citi FM.
In videos circulating on social media, a number of delegates alleged they were waiting to receive GH¢700 from some aspirants before voting.
"I haven’t been part of any meeting where we agreed that monies should be given to delegates. If it’s about ferrying somebody from one point to the voting centre, I don’t think that is part of buying the votes of delegates."
On claims that the Bawumia campaign may have provided money for transportation, Awuku said perhaps some individuals took initiative outside the knowledge of the campaign team.
Warning over vote-buying in NPP primaries
Concerns were raised about vote-buying ahead of the primary, with Election Watch Ghana believing that some aspirants had allocated at least GH¢150 million for vote-buying.
The election monitoring group claimed this cash was meant to sway delegates through inducements such as hotel accommodation, transportation costs, feeding and payment of per diems.
In the election itself, delegates accused some campaign teams of failing to disburse the promised funds, as has circulated on Instagram.
This prompted some delegates to take drastic measures, including seizing the mobile device of one of the campaign officials in a bid to signal their frustration.
What happened in the NPP primary?
Former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia won the NPP presidential primary to become the party's flagbearer for the 2028 election.
He polled 110,645 votes, representing 56.48% of the total valid votes cast.
Kennedy Agyapong placed second with 46,554 votes, representing 23.8%, and Bryan Acheampong came third with 36,303 votes, accounting for 18.5%.
Source: Facebook
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum polled 1,999 votes, representing 1%, while former General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyepong, secured 402 votes, which amounted to 0.2%.
Agyapong conceded defeat in the presidential primary a few hours before the event.
In his concession speech, shared on Facebook, he thanked his campaign team, while admitting that the worst had happened.
Akufo-Addo advises flagbearer aspirants
YEN.com.gh also recently reported that former President Nana Akufo-Addo had warned aspirants that the party is bigger than any individual.
He stressed that unity was critical to the party during the Peace Pact signing involving the five NPP presidential aspirants on January 22, 2026.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
