A QUIET CALCULATION: INSIDE THE NPP€™S NEXT BIG DECISION

“A Quiet Calculation: Inside the NPP’s Next Big Decision”

I was having waakye with a friend the other morning at Circle when he looked up from his spoon and said, “You know the NPP has a decision to make that could change everything, right?” He wasn’t talking about some far-off campaign. He meant now. Today. And honestly, he had a point.

We’re in a strange political season—still nursing the aftershocks of 2024, still licking wounds, still pretending we’re not already thinking about 2028. But inside the NPP? The wheels are spinning. And someone, somewhere, will have to choose the next flagbearer. Not just a name. The name. The face they’ll carry into battle four years from now.

That’s why I wasn’t surprised when Pius Enam Hadzide, former NYA boss and a man who knows the trenches of party politics intimately, went public with his pick. No drawn-out speech. No drama. Just a calm, deliberate statement: “Bryan Acheampong is the one.”

Now, maybe you’re thinking: already? But for Hadzide, timing isn’t just strategy—it’s survival. He wasn’t campaigning. He was sounding the alarm.

“If we’re not careful,” he said in an interview on Asempa FM, “we’ll choose someone the opposition can tear apart before the race even begins.”

And you feel that, don’t you? That edge in his voice. That worry tucked beneath the politics. It’s the kind of warning that comes from watching too many good candidates go down—not because they weren’t capable, but because they were vulnerable.

Why Bryan?

I’ll be honest. Bryan Acheampong’s name didn’t immediately leap to mind when I first thought of 2028. But then you look closer. Minister of Agriculture. MP for Abetifi. Quietly climbing, avoiding scandal, building loyalty in corners that don’t scream for attention. He’s not the loudest in the room, but he doesn’t have to be.

According to Hadzide, that’s exactly the point.

He’s clean. And in this game? That’s gold.

Not the clean-you-say-on-TV kind of clean. The kind that withstands WhatsApp leaks, Twitter threads, opposition exposés, and party gossip. The kind that lets the campaign team sleep a little easier at night.

But more than that, Hadzide says Bryan is “liked by everyone in the party.” And I paused when I heard that. Because in a political landscape where factions eat each other alive before the main fight even begins, someone who can unite the family matters more than ever.

Politics or Preservation?

Here’s what keeps circling my mind: This choice isn’t just about charisma or who looks better on a poster. It’s about preservation.

The NPP is navigating a post-Akufo-Addo era. Legacy questions are rising. Internal divisions are widening. One wrong move, and the foundation cracks.

That’s why Hadzide’s voice felt less like an endorsement and more like a plea. He’s not just rooting for Bryan Acheampong. He’s warning the party not to pick someone for convenience or nostalgia—someone who’ll drag old scandals into a new race.

Because, and I quote, “When trouble starts, people won’t blame the past. They’ll blame the one wearing the crown.”

A Conversation Bigger Than Politics

I think about that sometimes. How leadership is often a mirror. You pick someone, and suddenly, every choice the party ever made reflects through them. Fair or not. That’s the reality. And Hadzide seems to get that.

He’s not saying Bryan is perfect. He’s saying Bryan might be safe—and in a volatile political season, safe might be just enough to win.

So... What Now?

The NPP hasn’t made a decision yet. The air is thick with speculation. But there’s something sobering in Hadzide’s timing. It’s early, yes. But sometimes, it’s the early voices that matter most.

And whether or not Bryan Acheampong becomes the face of the campaign, one thing is clear:

The party can’t afford to just “choose.” They have to calculate. They have to remember that elections aren’t only won at the rallies—they’re won in the whispers, the side conversations, the quiet loyalty of people who feel heard.

So, as we inch closer to another political season, I’m left asking the same question my friend did that morning over waakye:

“Do they want to win? Or do they just want to fight?”

Time, as always, will tell.