Former Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia recorded a decisive victory at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters polling station after emerging as the top vote-getter in the party’s ongoing presidential primary.

Provisional results from the NPP Headquarters show that Dr. Bawumia secured 308 votes, comfortably ahead of his closest contender, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, who obtained 160 votes.

The remaining candidates trailed far behind, with Kwabena Agyei Agyapong polling seven votes, while Dr. Bryan Acheampong and Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum each garnered three votes at the headquarters polling centre.

The strong showing by Dr. Bawumia at the party’s national headquarters is being interpreted by party observers as a significant endorsement from key stakeholders and officials, many of whom are based at the central administration of the party.

The NPP headquarters is one of 333 polling centres across the country taking part in the presidential primary, with delegates voting to select the party’s flagbearer for the 2028 general elections.

Counting of ballots continues across constituencies nationwide, as party officials compile results from all polling centres to determine whether the contest will be decided in the first round or proceed to a run-off.

Dome Kwabenya’s 2024 Parliamentary Candidate, Mike Oquaye Jnr, has called on party members to exercise restraint and embrace unity after the conclusion of the internal voting process, stressing that political contests should not degenerate into hostility and personal attacks.

“Some of us, we have done primaries so many times. We have done elections on so many occasions. In the long run, nobody will die,” Mr. Oquaye Jnr said, urging supporters to lower tensions on voting day.

He noted that while emotions often run high during internal contests, there was no justification for insults and acrimony among party members. According to him, the end of voting should mark the beginning of reconciliation and cooperation.

“We don’t have to kill ourselves, insult each other, say all sorts of things that are not nice. But today is the last day. After that, we need unity,” he stressed.

Drawing from his own political experience, Mr. Oquaye Jnr said he had previously lost primaries but chose to work with his opponents immediately afterward, a posture he described as essential for party growth.

“I’ve lost primaries before. As soon as I finished at the venue, I mentioned that best of luck to my opponents and started working with them,” he said.

He argued that anyone aspiring to lead the party, particularly at the presidential level, must demonstrate emotional maturity and an ability to accommodate differing views.

“If you want to stand to be a president in terms of flag-bearer and be a president, you must be emotionally mature to do politics and understand that when you also lose, everybody will come and work on board,” Mr. Oquaye Jnr noted.

The Dome Kwabenya parliamentary candidate also criticised negative campaigning, warning that persistent attacks on fellow party members undermine cohesion and weaken the party’s internal democratic processes.

“So don’t say that no this, no good, no this, no good. That kind of campaign is not welcome,” he said.

On predictions about the outcome of the vote, Mr. Oquaye Jnr declined to comment while polling was still ongoing, insisting it would be unfair to make projections before all delegates had voted.

“Some people listening with me here have not yet voted. We want to play the rules fair and right, so we won’t say anything about that,” he explained.

He added that he would only offer his assessment after the close of polls, when voting had officially ended.