The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has elected regional chairmen in 14 of Ghana’s 16 regions following its 2026 regional executive elections held on Saturday, November 14, with results from the Oti and Savannah regions still pending.
The elections, supervised by the Electoral Commission and secured by the Ghana Police Service, produced a mixed bag of continuity and change, as several incumbent chairmen retained their seats while others were shown the exit by delegates.
Delegates were required to cast their ballots in person, with proxy voting strictly disallowed. The main regional conferences elected chairmen alongside vice-chairmen, secretaries, organisers, treasurers, communications officers and Zongo Caucus coordinators, while the youth and women’s organisers were elected at separate wing conferences held mostly on Friday, November 13.
In the Greater Accra Region, Benjamin Danso pulled off one of the major upsets of the polls, unseating incumbent Emmanuel Nii Ashie-Moore with 515 votes against the latter’s 295. Michael Tetteh Kwetey secured 161 votes, while Ibrahim Jajah obtained 63.
The Central Region contest was a nail-biter, with lawyer Obeng Inkoom narrowly defeating incumbent Richard Kofi Asiedu by a mere five votes. Mr Inkoom polled 372 votes, while Mr Asiedu secured 367, and Ibrahim Mohammed obtained 16. The outcome, however, remains steeped in controversy as Mr Asiedu has threatened legal action, citing alleged irregularities in the voters’ register.
In the Bono East Region, Ali Abubakari Donkor wrested the chairmanship from incumbent Unas Owusu, polling 155 votes to Mr Owusu’s 118, while Baba Shaibu obtained 107. The Upper West Region also witnessed a changing of the guard, as Adams Randy turned the tables on incumbent Abdul Nasir Saani, whom he lost to in 2022. Mr Randy polled 196 votes against Mr Saani’s 164, with Samba Sankara receiving 28. In the Ahafo Region, Ababio Owusu Nkrumah emerged victorious with 106 votes, defeating Joseph Baradoe, who polled 94, and Ahmed Ali Awinbila, who obtained three.
Several incumbents, however, successfully defended their seats. In the Ashanti Region, Augustus Andrews Nana Kwasi retained the chairmanship with 814 votes, ahead of former Regional Organiser Isham Alhassan Yaw Bonsu, who polled 622. The Northern Region saw Godfred Apasinaba Wumbei win with 328 votes, defeating Alhaji Tanko Maida, who received 236.
In the Western Region, Nana Kojo Toku retained the chairmanship with 225 votes, beating Samuel Kwame Borlu, who polled 209, and George Arthur, who received 114. His re-election came on the back of a petition by the Apinto royal family, which had asked the party to bar him from contesting on the grounds that he is a gazetted chief and that the NDC Constitution prohibits chiefs from active party politics.
Alhaji Bolnaba secured another term in the Upper East Region with a 220-vote margin, having led the region since December 2005, while Nyamekye-Marfo secured more than 90 per cent of the votes in the Bono Region. For Mr Nyamekye-Marfo, it was his first contested regional chairmanship election, having previously been returned unopposed in 2018 and 2022. Volta Region’s Mawutor Agbavitor went through unopposed, while Eastern Region’s Ing. Dr Mark Oliver Kevor, North East’s Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim, and Western North’s Michael Aidoo all retained their seats.
In the Ashanti Region, heightened security at the election centre meant voting had not started by early afternoon, although the contest was subsequently concluded.
The regional elections form part of the NDC’s internal reorganisation ahead of the 2028 general elections. The party is expected to hold its National Congress on December 19, 2026, to elect its national officers. Ahead of the congress, Chief of Staff Dr Julius Debrah urged successful candidates to work with those they defeated to promote unity within the party. Campaigning for the national positions has also begun, with Akwasi Oppong Fosu among those seeking the national chairmanship.
List of elected Chairmen and votes;
Ahafo: Ababio Owusu Nkrumah — 106 votes (Joseph Baradoe — 94; Ahmed Ali Awinbila — 3)
Ashanti: Augustus Andrews Nana Kwasi (re-elected) — 814 votes (Isham Alhassan Yaw Bonsu — 622)
Bono: Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo (re-elected) — secured more than 90% of votes
Bono East: Ali Abubakari Donkor — 155 votes (Unas Owusu — 118; Baba Shaibu — 107)
Central: Lawyer Obeng Inkoom — 372 votes (Richard Kofi Asiedu — 367; Ibrahim Mohammed — 16)
Eastern: Ing. Dr Mark Oliver Kevor (re-elected)
Greater Accra: Benjamin Danso — 515 votes (Emmanuel Nii Ashie-Moore — 295; Michael Tetteh Kwetey — 161; Ibrahim Jajah — 63)
North East: Alhaji Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim (re-elected)
Northern: Godfred Apasinaba Wumbei — 328 votes (Alhaji Tanko Maida — 236)
Upper East: Alhaji Abdulai Mumuni Bolnaba (re-elected) — won by a 220-vote margin
Upper West: Adams Randy — 196 votes (Abdul Nasir Saani — 164; Samba Sankara — 28)
Volta: Mawutor Agbavitor (unopposed)
Western: Nana Kojo Toku (re-elected) — 225 votes (Samuel Kwame Borlu — 209; George Arthur — 114)
Western North: Michael Aidoo (re-elected)
Results for Oti and Savannah Regions are pending.
