NPP race: 'Nobody will do anything untoward' — NPP Presidential Election Committee Chair dismisses fears of cheating
The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Presidential Elections Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, has dismissed concerns of possible cheating or manipulation in the party’s upcoming presidential primaries, insisting that the process is being conducted with the highest level of transparency and fairness.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, November 6, 2025, Mr Osei Owusu, popularly known as Joe Wise, said the committee has involved all aspirants at every stage of the process to ensure confidence in the integrity of the polls.
“I try to refrain from commenting on social media posts,” he said in response to circulating rumours of foul play. “I believe that if the contestants have real issues, they’ll bring them to us. We make sure that they were actively involved in the verification process.”
He emphasized that representatives of all presidential aspirants have been present at every committee meeting. “At every meeting, at least three of them had their representatives at every one of the meetings. I believe strongly that if anybody had evidence, they would have put it out,” he added.
Joe Wise acknowledged that aspirants may take measures to safeguard their campaigns but stressed that such efforts must end once voting begins. “As for a general statement about protecting, we don’t have any issues with them protecting themselves as they go around. But when it comes to the election day, all that protection ceases. Everything will be managed by the government,” he stated.
He assured that the committee will strictly enforce all guidelines governing the primaries, adding that any concerns raised before election day would be addressed. “We will make sure that, as we have stated in the guidelines, the guidelines are respected,” he said. “We will also be meeting with them. So if they have any issues with the guidelines, we expect that they’ll bring them up and resolve them before we get to the election.”
Responding to claims of bias, Joe Wise firmly rejected the notion that any member of the committee was compromised. “I can assure any of them that this election, none of us here has any outward thinking or inclination to move in the election left or right,” he said.
He noted that any attempt at cheating would be easily detectable due to the transparent collation process. “If there will be any cheating, it may happen in a polling station. But here, after the results have been declared openly at the respective polling station, you only add them and declare the winner,” he explained.
He further stressed that each aspirant will have representatives at every polling centre, ensuring accountability and fairness. “In that exercise, I’m sure nobody will do anything untoward. I’m convinced that each one of them has their own supporters and candidates and representatives at their respective polling centres. There should be no reason to be suspicious,” he said.
The NPP presidential primaries are scheduled for January 31, 2026, to elect the party’s flagbearer ahead of the 2028 general elections.