Former Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, two former national executives, and a former National Chairman seeking a comeback head into a straight contest for the national chairmanship of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) as 47 aspirants get set to vie for nine national party positions.
John Boadu, a former General Secretary of the party; Sammy Crabbe, a former National Vice-Chairman of the party; and Paul Afoko, who once chaired the party, complete the list of chairmanship aspirants as the party continues a restructuring process towards the 2028 elections.
The delegates conference slated for Saturday, October 3 this year in Kumasi will climax a feverish campaigning exercise that has helped to energise the party base for the bigger ambition in 2028.
From party loyalty to experience, vision and strategy, each candidate’s campaign has counted every factor that could be an advantage, although Mr Agyarko’s supporters count his moderate personality and oft-touted neurtrality to supposed internal power blocs as his biggest strength.
A former banker with heavy links with the business community, Mr Agyarko breathes fresh air into the chairmanship race as he puts himself up for national office for the first time, hardly carrying any baggage from his previous stint in political office as Energy Minister.
Mr Afoko was party Chairman until a recommendation by the internal Disciplinary Committee in 2015 ended his tenure, while Mr Boadu only lost his General Secretary position at the last congress to the current incumbent, Justin Kodua Frimpong.
Mr Crabbe, like Mr Afoko, left office over the recommendation by the internal Disciplinary Committee in 2015.
With just about 16 days to the polls, all the 47 aspirants have been cleared to contest for the nine positions, with additional three slots to be filled for the vice-chairperson positions.
But the national chairperson position, being sought by the four stalwarts, remains the most interesting contest.
Each of the four remaining contestants comes with a long history of involvement in the party's politics, with delegates confronted with choosing which of them has the right mix of administrative skills and values, not only to ensure a smooth day-to-day running of the party's operations, but also to reposition it and work closely with the flag bearer towards the 2028 elections.
Mr Agyarko throws himself into the mix to serve the party once again after he was changed as the Minister of Energy in August 2018, while Mr Boadu has been National Organiser, a Deputy General Secretary and then General Secretary before losing to Mr Kodua Frimpong at the National Delegates Conference on July 16, 2022, at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Mr Afoko defied the odds to beat Stephen Ntim and then incumbent, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, now deceased, in the 2014 contest.
The next party chairman, however, may have to understand both the extent of the defeat at the 2024 elections and some of the deeper shifts in public sentiments well captured by the Afrobarometer survey.
The goal will be to have a credible plan that rebuilds trust and wins back the people the party lost in 2024.
According to political scientist Dr John Osae-Kwapong, the ability to unify the party, including those whose disaffection led to the kind of apathy witnessed in areas considered as party strongholds, would be key.
He maintained that every political party must be disciplined.
“However, to have discipline requires the enforcement of party rules without fear or favour.
This is, at its core, a call for a strong party chairman — someone who can apply the party's constitution and internal processes evenly and fairly, regardless of who is involved,” he stated in comments to the Daily Graphic.
Dr Osae-Kwapong stressed the need for the new party chairman to be able to work closely with the flag bearer in a way that would avoid the perception of "party versus flag bearer team".
“A genuine sense of shared purpose is needed so that the party and the candidate do not create a situation of rivalry. They must constantly remember that they are a team working towards one goal — winning the 2028 election,” he stated.
Decision
The Head of the Department of Political Science of the University for Development Studies, Dr Gbensuglo Alidu Bukari, however, argues that the NPP must lean towards someone who could both unite the party and build a formidable campaign structure.
“In that sense, Agyarko's strategic background may give him an edge, but Afoko's name recognition and Boadu's organisational clout cannot be underestimated. It will be a competitive race right to the end,” he said.
Mr Agyarko, he says, occupies a middle position, and, indeed, could spring a surprise, his appeal lying in his relative neutrality, and seen as not a polarising figure, making him an attractive compromise candidate for delegates weary of factional battles.
Dr Bukari further argues that if the race fragments, and no candidate secures an early majority, Agyarko could emerge as a consensus choice.
Mr Agyarko’s strengths are considerable as he brings a rich blend of public sector experience as a former minister and private sector expertise from his long banking career.
Moreover, he is articulate, well-connected, and presents himself as a statesmanlike figure.
Paul Afoko
Dr Bukari considers Mr Afoko a strong contender, but not necessarily the frontrunner.
“His name recognition and previous tenure as chairman give him a solid foundation,” Dr Bukari said.
But his experience is a double-edged sword; on one hand, it damaged his reputation among party faithful, and on the other hand offering him institutional memory and a clear understanding of the party's machinery.
“He knows the grassroots, the structures, and the pain points.
That is an advantage.
However, his tenure was also marked by internal strife and allegations of poor communication with the party leadership.
Some delegates may view him as a figure from the past rather than a forward-looking leader.
His experience may help him rally those who feel marginalised, but it also gives opponents ammunition to question his ability to unite the party,” Dr Bukari said.
He added that Mr Afoko's northern background would significantly hurt him, even with a northern flag bearer.
“The NPP has prioritised competence and loyalty over ethnic considerations, particularly in the recent past elections of the Fourth Republic.
“Moreover, the flag bearer and the chairman serve different roles; the chairman is the administrator of the party, while the flag bearer is the public face of the campaign,” Dr Bukari said, adding that delegates were rational enough to separate those roles.
He, however, stressed that “if anything at all, having both leaders from the north could be framed positively as a sign of national inclusion, rather than a liability”.
John Boadu
Mr Boadu has a long history within the NPP, having served as national organiser before becoming General Secretary.
He boasts experience, which positions him to run an effective campaign to return the party to power through strengthening the party’s internal security ahead of future elections.
Crabbe’s return
Mr Crabbe believes that rebuilding the party’s coalition must form part of the NPP’s strategy ahead of the 2028 general election.
He is seeking the position on the basis that the NPP must look beyond its traditional electoral strongholds and deliberately rebuild relationships with groups and communities that form part of Ghana’s wider political and professional landscape.
It is his contention that the party’s ability to rebuild those relationships would be critical to its prospects of returning to power in 2028.
He argues that the NPP needs to reform its internal structures and rebuild the coalition that helped it to win the 2016 and 2020 elections if it is to mount a successful campaign in 2028.
Mr Crabbe believes that the NPP’s 2024 electoral defeat exposed systemic weaknesses that require institutional solutions, including sustainable funding and stronger party structures and moving away from depending on individuals who can personally finance its activities.
He said the NPP currently relied heavily on what he described as “episodic funding”, where resources became available at particular periods rather than through a consistent financial system.
Ballot
But if the position one places on the ballot paper is anything to go by, then John Boadu will be number one, Sammy Crabbe in second position, Paul Afoko takes the third slot, with Boakye Agyarko occupying the fourth spot.
