Mahdi Gibril, the Acting Director of Elections for the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), has offered a mixed assessment of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) recent presidential primary held on January 31, 2026.
While praising the logistical execution of the election day, Mr. Gibril was quick to criticize the main opposition party for what he described as a failure during the pre-election period.
Speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Mr. Gibril opined that the entire campaign period was marred by poor conduct from candidates and supporters alike. He suggested that the party leadership and its members missed an opportunity to conduct themselves with more decorum.
“The way some of the contenders carried themselves brought the name of the NPP into disrepute,” Gibril noted.
He stressed that the NDC is observing these developments closely to ensure they do not repeat the same mistakes.
According to Gibril, the NDC is committed to organising its internal elections—from the grassroots to the national level—in a manner that is transparent, credible, and maintains party discipline.
“As political parties, we learn from each other despite being on opposite sides,” Gibril stated. “We learn lessons and pick the good examples from others. We also do our best not to repeat any of the bad examples from the other side.”
He described the Saturday primary as being conducted in an “enviable” manner.
He labeled the lead-up as “terrible,” citing activities that undermined party unity.
“Right from day one, the party misconducted itself. Some of the candidates engaged in activities that undermined each other and caused disaffection for the party. The NDC will not handle our party like this. We will not handle ourselves like this. I can assure you that we will work towards that. No political party would want to campaign like this, especially when the NPP prides itself on being a beacon of democracy.”
To avoid similar internal friction, Mr Gibril explained that the NDC has adopted a “bottom-to-top” approach. This strategy focuses on electing leadership starting from the lower levels of power and moving upward to ensure a more stable and unified transition.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
