The race for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Chairmanship has entered a crucial phase, with John Boadu, Boakye Agyarko, Paul Afoko and Sammy Crabbe competing to lead the party through its next chapter and help rebuild its structures ahead of the 2028 general election.

The four contenders have now been confirmed for the October 3, 2026 national executive elections. Following the September 9 balloting, John Boadu occupies No. 1 on the ballot, Sammy Crabbe No. 2, Paul Afoko No. 3 and Boakye Agyarko No. 4.

With the NPP in opposition, the chairmanship contest has become a major internal battle over organisation, grassroots mobilisation, unity and the party’s strategy for 2028.

Four men, one powerful position

The chairmanship race brings together four figures with different political backgrounds and experiences.

John Boadu, a former General Secretary, is campaigning heavily on his extensive experience within the party’s structures. His political journey has taken him through grassroots, regional and national positions, and his campaign has placed considerable emphasis on rebuilding the party from the grassroots upward.

Boakye Agyarko, a former Energy Minister, brings ministerial and policy experience to the contest and has also positioned himself around the need for organisational renewal.

Paul Afoko, a former NPP National Chairman, is seeking a return to the position he previously occupied.

Sammy Crabbe, a former Second Vice Chairman of the party, completes the four-man contest.

The Boadu argument: experience and organisation

Boadu’s campaign has centred strongly on his long experience inside the NPP.

He has presented himself as someone who understands the party from the polling-station level through to the national headquarters, arguing that this experience can help repair and strengthen the organisation.

His supporters have highlighted his previous roles as National Organiser, Acting General Secretary and General Secretary, among others.

The campaign’s broader message is that the NPP needs a chairman who can reconnect national leadership with constituency executives and grassroots activists.

Agyarko pushes his own case

Boakye Agyarko enters the contest with his own record of national political and government experience.

The former Energy Minister has been engaging party members and presenting his vision for the NPP’s future, particularly at a time when the party is examining the reasons behind its recent electoral setbacks.

His campaign will have to persuade delegates that his experience and proposed reforms can help strengthen the party ahead of 2028.

Afoko seeks another chance at the top

Paul Afoko brings perhaps the clearest experience of the chairmanship itself.

The former National Chairman is returning to the contest with knowledge of the responsibilities and challenges that come with leading the party at the national level.

His candidacy adds another dimension to the race, particularly because delegates are being asked to choose between a former chairman, experienced former national officers and a former government minister.

Crabbe joins the four-way contest

Sammy Crabbe, a former Second Vice Chairman, is also seeking to convince delegates that he can provide the leadership required to rebuild the party.

His experience within the NPP’s national executive structure gives him familiarity with the party’s internal operations as he campaigns for the chairmanship.

With the race now narrowed to four candidates, the campaign period is expected to intensify as each aspirant attempts to distinguish his vision from the others.

Wontumi’s endorsement changes the conversation

One of the biggest developments in the race came on September 8, when former Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, endorsed John Boadu after withdrawing from the contest.

The Wontumi campaign said the decision followed consultations with grassroots supporters, constituency actors, party elders and other stakeholders.

It also called on members who previously organised for Wontumi to now support Boadu.

The endorsement has introduced another important factor into the contest: grassroots mobilisation.

Unity has become a major campaign theme

Regardless of who eventually takes the chairmanship, one issue has become unavoidable — the need for internal unity.

The NPP’s national elections committee has repeatedly urged aspirants and their supporters to conduct the campaign in a manner that protects the unity and integrity of the party.

The four candidates are therefore competing fiercely for the position while simultaneously needing to convince party members that the contest will not deepen existing divisions.

The chairmanship campaign is consequently about more than individual ambition. It is also about how the NPP intends to reorganise itself after its electoral setbacks and prepare for the next national contest.

The 2028 challenge

The new chairman will inherit a party facing the difficult task of rebuilding its electoral machinery.

Among the issues likely to dominate the next phase of the NPP’s internal work are:

• Reconnecting with grassroots members.
• Strengthening constituency and regional structures.
• Improving internal communication.
• Mobilising young people.
• Rebuilding public confidence.
• Preparing an effective campaign structure for 2028.
• Maintaining unity after the national executive elections.

The candidates may differ in their approaches, but the pressure on whoever emerges chairman will be immediate.

The ballot is set — the decision awaits

With the ballot order now established — Boadu 1, Crabbe 2, Afoko 3 and Agyarko 4 — the four campaigns have entered the final stretch toward October 3.

There is no established election result yet, so the question of who will win remains for the NPP’s delegates to decide.

What is already clear, however, is that the chairmanship election will determine more than the occupant of one national executive position.

Former government spokesperson on security, Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, has raised concerns over Ghana’s handling of the growing cocaine trafficking problem, accusing the government of failing to act decisively enough to protect the country’s security and international reputation.

In a zoom meeting with Kojo Preko Dankwa on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Dr Boakye-Danquah asserted, he has lost confidence in the government, alleging that authorities are “sleeping on the job” while Ghana increasingly becomes a transit point for illicit drugs.
He criticised the government’s proposed meeting to address drug trafficking, arguing that the initiative came too late and should have been undertaken much earlier.

Dr Boakye-Danquah also questioned the effectiveness of Ghana’s security agencies in dealing with the situation.
His concerns come amid allegations that some government officials could be connected to cocaine-related activities. He cited comments attributed to the Interior Minister, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, in Parliament that government officials were allegedly involved in cocaine deals.

He further raised questions over the movement of containers from Ghana’s port to France before they were reportedly impounded, arguing that such developments raise serious concerns about the country’s security and border-control systems.

The former security spokesperson also questioned why the President would announce a proposed security meeting publicly without even involving the Interior Minister.

According to him, Ghana has recorded significant cocaine seizures in April, August and September 2026, with the value of the seized consignments estimated at about $800 million.
Dr Boakye-Danquah called on the government to provide clearer answers on the alleged involvement of public officials in the drug trade.
“The government must give us better answers,” he said, while questioning which government officials may be involved in the alleged cocaine dealings.

His comments add to growing public debate over Ghana’s fight against drug trafficking and the effectiveness of the country’s security and law-enforcement institutions.

By Maurice Otoo

Lawyer Dennis Ofori Asiedu, a member of the NDC Communications Team, has cautioned Ghanaians against assuming that drug trafficking is carried out only by easily identifiable criminals, stressing that a drug merchant “may be anybody’s neighbour.”

Speaking of national security and the fight against drug trafficking on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Ofori Asiedu said protecting Ghana’s borders remains extremely challenging, particularly because farms and communities stretch along parts of the country’s boundaries.

He argued that security agencies cannot win the fight alone and urged citizens to provide useful information to the authorities. According to him, without public cooperation, the work of security agencies becomes “extremely difficult.”
Ofori Asiedu further noted that traffickers may use transit routes without necessarily transporting drugs through the country’s ports, making detection more complicated.

While expressing confidence that Ghana’s security agencies are doing their best to safeguard the country, he acknowledged that lapses can occur.

Turning to recent criticism involving Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, the lawyer stated, the Ghana Bar Association has become a Chop Bar, questioning what he described as selective outrage from the Ghana Bar Association. He argued that previous Chief Justices had also publicly commended government initiatives, citing comments attributed to former Chief Justices Sophia Akuffo stating that Free SHS is good and will help Ghanaian children therefore parents must commend Nana Akufo Addo.
Additionally he referenced Justice Anin Yeboah once commended COCOBOD for suppling fertilizer to the cocoa farmers knowing it was being sold to them.

He queried “What has Justice Baffoe Bonnie’s comment got to do with the Bar Association launching at CJ for his comment?” he questioned, suggesting that the current criticism is inconsistent with reactions to similar remarks