Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, NPP flag-bearer
Parallel Structures Threaten Unity In NPP
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) recently concluded its high-stakes presidential primary, electing former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia (DMB) as its flagbearer.
While the party leadership hoped this would unify various factions under a single banner for the 2024 general elections, the reality on the ground—particularly in the Ashanti Region suggests a widening rift.
Internal power plays are now threatening to dismantle the formal administrative structures of the party.
Parallel Administration:
Despite the official election timetable released by the General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, a breakaway faction has reportedly begun operating a parallel administration.
This group, largely composed of Members of Parliament and high-ranking officials who supported Dr. Bawumia during the primaries, is accused of bypassing national directives to install their own loyalists.
Reliable sources indicate that this group, allegedly linked to the MP for Effiduase-Asokore, recently convened at a private residence in Daban, Kumasi.
Their objective was to draft a separate operational outline for the upcoming internal elections, one that mimics the national executive’s design but serves a more exclusionary agenda.
Infiltration.
This faction, reportedly bolstered by ties to the outgoing Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi), is executing what critics describe as a “torpedo directive.”
The strategy focuses on two key goals:
Consolidation:
Rewarding and positioning those who supported Dr. Bawumia in the primaries.
Control:
Seizing control of the delegates’ album at the polling station, constituency, and regional levels to ensure long-term dominance over the party’s internal machinery.
Disruptions:
The Ashanti Region, the NPP’s “World Bank” of votes, has become the primary theater for this administrative warfare.
Several key officers have already been sidelined:
Women’s Organizer:
Originally assigned to oversee elections in Asokwa, she has reportedly declined participation due to interference and hostility from the breakaway faction.
Regional Organizer:
Mr. Adomako has faced rejection in both the Sekyere East and Odotobri districts, allegedly orchestrated by the DMB-aligned group to make room for their preferred representatives.
Interference:
In Manhyia North, the designated overseer, former MP Akwasi Gyamfi, was unceremoniously replaced by Yaw Geraldo, a figure whose involvement in previous election controversies has raised significant red flags.
Threat of Escalation:
Political observers warn that if these parallel structures are allowed to persist, the upcoming internal elections could be marred by confrontation and violence.
The move to manipulate the delegates’ album for “parochial interests” has created a volatile atmosphere that is reportedly being replicated in other regions across the country.
Admonition:
“A stitch in time saves nine. If the NPP is to survive the aftermath of an already acrimonious primary, its revered stakeholders including former Presidents and senior elders must intervene immediately to halt this administrative insanity.”
Failure to restore the authority of the National Executive could see the party entering the general election season fractured, distracted, and vulnerable.
-END-
