Aspiring First National Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has dismissed claims that there is an agenda to Islamise Ghana, arguing that the voting patterns of Muslims in the 2024 general election demonstrate the country’s strong commitment to religious tolerance.
He said if there were an agenda to turn Ghana into an Islamic state, the 2024 presidential candidacy of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia would have provided an opportunity for Muslims to rally behind him on religious grounds.
Speaking at the Danquah Institute’s 2026 Liberty Lecture on Tuesday, August 25, Mr Hamid said the failure of Muslims to vote overwhelmingly for Dr Bawumia, despite his being the first Muslim presidential candidate of a major political party, was evidence that religion did not determine their political choices.
His comments come amid public concerns over a possible Islamisation of Ghana, following discussions about the proposed introduction of Arabic as an optional language at the basic school level and the government’s interest in interest-free banking.
Mr Hamid said these developments had been used to fuel claims of an agenda to Islamise the country, but maintained that Ghana’s political history did not support such assertions.
“So, Mr Chairman, I want to ask, is there an agenda to Islamise Ghana? For me, it does not seem that from the political choices of Muslims in Ghana that there’s an agenda to Islamise Ghana,” he said.
He argued that Dr Bawumia’s candidacy in the 2024 election should have catalysed such an agenda if one existed.
“If such an agenda existed, Mr Chairman, the candidacy of Mahamudu Bawumia would have been the catalyst, and his candidature would have been the opportunity for Muslims to rally around such an agenda, but they didn’t,” he said.
Mr Hamid cited voting patterns in several Muslim-dominated constituencies as evidence that religious identity did not translate into political support.
He noted that constituencies including Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Asawase, Ejura, Tamale North, Tamale Central, Tamale South and Sagnarigu voted significantly for President John Dramani Mahama, a Christian, over Dr Bawumia.
“Muslim-dominated constituencies like Ayawaso East, Ayawaso North, Asawase, Ejura, Tamale North, Tamale Central, Tamale South, Sagnarigu, all voted massively for the Christian John Dramani Mahama against the Muslim Mahamudu Bawumia,” he said.
According to him, the voting pattern demonstrated that religious differences generally do not determine political decisions in Ghana.
“So that means that, consciously, in the Ghanaian psyche, our religious differences do not spill over into our political consideration,” Mr Hamid said.
He further acknowledged Ghana’s longstanding tradition of religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence among Christians, Muslims and other faith groups, and cautioned against narratives that could undermine the country’s religious harmony.
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