The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has ordered all prospective parliamentary aspirants, their agents and supporters to stop every form of campaign activity with immediate effect, warning that violators could have their eligibility to contest the party’s parliamentary primaries affected.
The directive was contained in a statement dated Sunday, October 11, 2026, and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong.
The party said it had received several complaints that some members seeking to contest parliamentary seats had already started campaigning in various constituencies, even though the official timetable and guidelines have not yet been released.
According to the NPP, such conduct breaches the party’s regulations and Code of Conduct. The statement said it “creates an uneven playing field and undermines the unity and discipline on which the Party’s success depends.”
NPP orders parliamentary aspirants to cease all campaign activities
Aspirants, their agents and supporters have been told to “cease all forms of campaign activities with immediate effect.”
The ban covers any activity that promotes an individual aspirant before the party announces its timetable and guidelines for the parliamentary process.
5 campaign activities banned by the NPP
The statement listed specific activities that are now prohibited:
- Mounting posters, billboards, banners and other branded materials promoting a candidacy
- Organising rallies, meetings with polling station executives or constituency tours to solicit support
- Distributing items or offering any form of inducement to delegates and party members
- Paid media advertisements promoting individual aspirants
- Paid social media advertisements promoting individual aspirants
Party officers and TESCON barred from promoting aspirants online
The directive also extends to party officers. Officers at the polling station, electoral area, constituency, regional and national levels are barred from posting or promoting any parliamentary aspirant on social media platforms such as Facebook, X and Instagram.
The same restriction applies to members of the Tertiary Students Confederacy (TESCON), the party’s tertiary student wing.
Officers are also not allowed to use their positions to facilitate premature campaigning by people who intend to contest the primaries.
NPP disciplinary sanctions for violating the campaign ban
The NPP warned that anyone who fails to comply will be dealt with under the party’s disciplinary procedures, which “may affect their eligibility to contest.”
The statement did not list specific penalties, and it did not name any aspirant or constituency accused of campaigning early.
Constituency and regional executives have been directed to ensure strict compliance within their jurisdictions.
What the ban means for NPP parliamentary aspirants
For aspirants who had already started mobilising, the directive means posters, billboards and branded materials promoting their bids should come down, and planned tours or meetings with delegates must be put on hold.
It also means supporters and party officers who have been promoting particular aspirants online must stop, since the ban covers agents and supporters as well as the aspirants themselves.
The party said the measures are meant to ensure fairness among all aspirants and to protect unity within its ranks ahead of the contests. The directive comes days after the party’s national delegates conference, which brought 7,121 delegates to Kumasi to elect a national chairman and other officers.
What happens next for the NPP parliamentary primaries
No date has been announced for the NPP’s parliamentary primaries. The party said the timetable and guidelines for its parliamentary processes will be announced “in due course.”
Until then, the campaign restrictions remain in force. The statement did not give an end date for the ban, and it does not cancel the primaries.
Official updates on the timetable are expected from the party through its national secretariat and the official NPP website.
Key details at a glance
- Who issued it: NPP General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong
- Date: Sunday, October 11, 2026
- Who is affected: Prospective parliamentary aspirants, their agents, supporters, party officers at all levels and TESCON
- What is banned: Posters and billboards, rallies and tours, inducements to delegates, and paid media and social media adverts
- Sanction: Disciplinary action that may affect eligibility to contest
- Enforcement: Constituency and regional executives
- Primaries timetable: To be announced “in due course”
FAQs
Why did the NPP ban parliamentary aspirants from campaigning?
The party said it received several complaints of aspirants campaigning before the official timetable, which it says breaches its regulations and Code of Conduct and creates an uneven playing field.
Can NPP aspirants be disqualified for campaigning early?
The NPP said violators will face its disciplinary procedures, which may affect their eligibility to contest. It did not spell out specific penalties.
When are the NPP parliamentary primaries?
No date has been announced yet. The party said the timetable and guidelines will be released in due course.
The NPP has frozen all early parliamentary campaigning, banning posters, rallies, inducements and paid adverts by aspirants and their supporters, and barring party officers and TESCON from promoting aspirants online. With no primaries timetable yet announced, aspirants who ignore the directive risk disciplinary action that could affect their eligibility to contest.
