The Member of Parliament for Tano North, Dr Gideon Boako, has cautioned members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) against invoking the name of the party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in the ongoing regional executive elections in ways that could deepen divisions within the party.

Speaking to the media on the final day of Odeneho Kwaku Appiah’s campaign tour of the Afigya Kwabre South Constituency in the Ashanti Region, Dr Boako said Dr Bawumia’s interest was to see credible executives elected across the regions to help position the party for victory in the 2028 general elections.

He said the flagbearer was not seeking to endorse particular candidates and therefore urged aspirants and their supporters to refrain from presenting Dr Bawumia as backing one contender over another.

“I don’t think anybody should draw Dr Bawumia into this election. As the flagbearer and father of the party, he’s overseeing what is happening. Dr Bawumia’s interest is to see all the regions elect credible executives who can work hard to secure victory for the party in 2028,” he said.

Dr Boako disclosed that he personally supports Odeneho Kwaku Appiah’s bid for the Ashanti Regional Chairmanship but stressed that party members close to Dr Bawumia were also supporting different candidates.

He described the situation as a normal feature of a democratic process, arguing that individuals should be free to support candidates based on their own convictions without seeking to attribute those choices to the party’s flagbearer.

The Tano North MP said the same principle applied to other regional executive positions, including Regional Youth Organiser and Regional Organiser, where members should be allowed to support candidates of their choice.

“What matters is that we elect credible leadership that can deliver. In my view, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah is the right person for the job,” he said.

Dr Boako urged delegates to assess candidates based on their ability to unite the party, strengthen its structures and mobilise members ahead of the 2028 elections.

He said the regional elections should ultimately serve to strengthen the NPP and prepare it for the next general election, rather than become a source of divisions among party members.