Five years on, the NPP is drawing positions again. But this time, the numbers tell a very different story.
At first glance, Wednesday’s balloting exercise at the New Patriotic Party’s headquarters in Asylum Down looked familiar.
Candidates gathered. Names were drawn. Positions were assigned. The ballot paper began to take shape.
But looking beyond the ballot positions, I found something more interesting: the NPP is conducting a familiar exercise in a very different political moment.
Four years ago, the party was preparing to elect national executives who would help it defend political power in the 2024 general election.
This time, the party is preparing to elect a new national executive team from opposition, with the 2028 election already shaping the political horizon.
And that makes Wednesday’s balloting more than an administrative exercise.
It offers a snapshot of where the NPP was, where it is now, and what its delegates may be looking for next.
A familiar exercise, a different field
The NPP’s most recent comparable national executive balloting took place on June 27, 2022, ahead of the party’s national executive elections at the Accra Sports Stadium.
That exercise was supervised by the Electoral Commission and determined the positions of candidates on the ballot paper.
At the time, eight candidates were listed for the National Chairmanship race.
They were Gifty Asantewa Ayeh, Sammy Crabbe, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Ekumfi, Akwasi Osei-Adjei, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, Joseph Ayikoi Otoo, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng and Kwabena Abankwa-Yeboah.
The positions were assigned in that order, with Ntim occupying the fifth position.
The 2026 picture is considerably narrower.
After Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, withdrew from the contest, four candidates filed nominations for the chairmanship: former National Chairman Paul Afoko, former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, former Greater Accra Regional Chairman Sammy Crabbe, and former General Secretary John Boadu.
Wednesday’s balloting then placed them in this order:
John Boadu
Sammy Crabbe
Paul Afoko
Boakye Agyarko.
Four years ago, there were eight names on the chairmanship ballot.
Today, there are four. That difference alone tells us that this is not simply a repeat of 2022.
One familiar name, one familiar number
There is, however, one striking continuity. Sammy Crabbe picked number two in 2022. He has picked number two again in 2026.
The number itself does not decide an election, but the repetition makes for an interesting footnote in the NPP’s electoral history. And there is another connection.
In 2022, Stephen Ntim occupied the fifth position on the chairmanship ballot and went on to win the election overwhelmingly, polling 4,014 votes, representing 72 per cent, against Stephen Asamoah-Boateng’s 1,010 votes. Sammy Crabbe received 32 votes.
The lesson is simple: the position on the ballot and the final position in the election are two different things.
But that is not the real story.
The more significant point is what has changed around the ballot paper.
From retaining power to rebuilding it
In 2022, the NPP’s national executive election was taking place while the party was in government.
The successful executives were expected to steer the party towards the 2024 general election. More than 6,700 delegates were expected to participate, and the National Chairman and General Secretary contests were identified as key races.
The political assignment was therefore clear: organise the party and help retain power.
The outcome was also consequential.
Stephen Ntim won the chairmanship after four unsuccessful attempts dating back to 2005, while Justin Frimpong Kodua defeated the incumbent John Boadu for the General Secretary position.
But the NPP eventually lost the 2024 presidential election. Its presidential candidate at the time, Mahamudu Bawumia, conceded defeat to John Dramani Mahama.
Now the party is preparing for another national executive election.
The assignment has changed.
It is no longer about defending an incumbent government.
By: Bure Doreen Alekuu Zunome
