Photo: Justin Koduah flanked by the party's mercenaries
The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is facing fresh internal turmoil following a controversial decision by its National Council to schedule presidential primaries for 31st January 2026, a move some party insiders have described as a “strategic overreach” aimed at curtailing the growing influence of former MP Kennedy Agyapong.
The decision appears to run contrary to the party’s own constitution. Article 12, clause 1 stipulates that “the election of the Party’s Presidential Candidate shall be held not later than twenty-four (24) months from the date of the national election” — a rule historically respected during periods when the party is in opposition.
Party figures aligned with Mr Agyapong have described the decision as a “panicked attempt” by the camp of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President and presumed frontrunner, to assert control and secure an early advantage before broader party structures are refreshed.
Chairmanship Dispute Deepens Divisions
Tensions within the party deepened in the lead-up to Tuesday’s National Council meeting, following three formal petitions filed against Acting National Chairman Smith Danquah. Mr Danquah, commonly referred to as Chairman Butey, had previously urged the party base to reject the current National Executive Committee (NEC) for what he called their role in the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 general elections.
Rather than allow due process to address the concerns, Dr Bawumia reportedly intervened, urging party elders to allow Danquah to chair the meeting only after offering an unqualified apology to the NEC — a move seen by some as choreographed to humiliate a senior figure with known ties to Mr Agyapong.
According to the NPP’s internal statutes, the acting chairmanship should rotate according to seniority based on electoral performance — a provision that clearly places Mr Danquah, the 1st National Vice-Chairperson, in line during the absence of substantive Chairman Stephen Ayensu Ntim.
Critics of the Bawumia camp argue that any attempt to sidestep this succession rule undermines the party’s democratic architecture and opens the door to factional manipulation.
Controversial Electoral Reordering
Perhaps more controversially, the National Council also approved a proposal to invert the party’s traditional election order — electing a presidential candidate before undertaking polling station, constituency, regional and national executive elections.
This “top-down” approach, originally proposed by 15 Regional Chairmen and reported by The Hawk in early May, departs significantly from the party’s established internal democracy and has already drawn rebuke from senior members.
Boakye Agyarko, a former Energy Minister and one-time flagbearer hopeful, labelled the decision “illogical and driven by greed,” warning that it undermines the grassroots-to-top electoral model that has long anchored the party’s internal cohesion.
Historical Precedent Disregarded
The NPP has traditionally elected its flagbearer in opposition two clear years before general elections, as seen with Nana Akufo-Addo in both 2007 and 2010. Even in government, the party’s leadership in 2023 referenced this precedent in setting the primary calendar.
That this approach is now being abandoned while the party is in opposition has raised alarms among constitutional purists and party elders, who fear that short-term factional considerations are taking precedence over institutional integrity.
A Widening Rift?
Supporters of Mr Agyapong warn that the early primary schedule — combined with attempts to displace Acting Chairman Butey — could entrench divisions within the party ahead of what is expected to be a challenging 2028 election cycle.
Some observers suggest that the move to rush primaries reflects concerns within the Bawumia camp that Mr Agyapong’s populist messaging and outsider appeal may resonate with a disillusioned party base still reeling from electoral defeat.
Whether the decision helps solidify unity or fractures it further remains to be seen, but for now, the party appears to be drifting further into a factional crosswind, with no clear consensus on how to rebuild or realign.
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