A coalition of NPP stakeholders, the Grassroots Patriotic Alliance, has petitioned the national leadership of the New Patriotic Party to immediately retract a communiqué issued by General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua that purported to annul constituency executive elections in selected constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
The petition, addressed to the National Council, National Executive Committee, National Steering Committee, and the General Secretary, argues that the decision violates the Party’s 2025 Constitution and the principles of natural justice.
Background To The Dispute
According to the petition signed by Convener Fred Appiah, the affected constituency elections were conducted under the supervision of duly appointed Regional Supervising Officers. The Electoral Commission and Ghana Police Service were also present to ensure transparency.
After results were declared and winners sworn in by Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, the General Secretary issued a communiqué announcing the annulment of the elections in some constituencies.
The petitioners note that the same communiqué invited the Ashanti Regional Steering Committee to appear before the National Steering Committee days later “to respond to issues that allegedly informed the annulment.”
Key Constitutional Grounds Raised
The group outlined 7 main grounds for their demand:
1. Lack of Powers: The petition argues the National Steering Committee has no express constitutional power to annul completed constituency elections. Its role, under Article 10, is limited to daily management and urgent matters subject to NEC approval.
2. Delegates’ Mandate: Constituency elections constitutionally belong to delegates. The Steering Committee cannot substitute itself for delegates or the Regional supervisory structure.
3. Breach of Right To Be Heard: The annulment was announced before the Ashanti Regional Steering Committee was given an opportunity to be heard, contrary to constitutional provisions on fairness.
4. Hierarchy Not Respected: As a subordinate body to the NEC, the Steering Committee cannot exercise final authority greater than the body it reports to.
5. Wrong Forum: Constitutional disputes of this nature should have been referred first to the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee and the Electoral Affairs Committee.
6. Due Process Violated: The Constitution requires notice, grounds, and a hearing before removing elected officers. The petition questions how thousands of delegates can have their mandate nullified by communiqué.
7. Chairman Wontumi Acted Lawfully: The group says no directive was issued to stop the swearing-in. In the absence of a suspension, the Regional Chairman was right to administer the oath to duly elected officers.
10 Questions For National Leadership
The petitioners are demanding answers on whether any written directive was sent to Chairman Wontumi, whether election results were formally suspended before annulment, and on what constitutional basis the decision was taken.
They also ask why elections were allowed to proceed to completion if the National Party believed they were flawed, and why results were annulled instead of suspended pending investigation.
Demands
The Grassroots Patriotic Alliance is demanding that the National Leadership:
1. Immediately retract the communiqué
2. Suspend implementation pending constitutional review
3. State the constitutional provisions relied upon
4. Provide complaints, evidence and findings for each affected constituency
5. Preserve all election materials and grant all affected parties a fair hearing
6. Refer the matter to the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, Electoral Affairs Committee, NEC and if necessary, National Council.
“Urgency Could Justify Preservation, Not Prejudgment”
Our position is that even if urgency justified intervention, the proportionate response was to preserve the status quo, secure election materials, and refer the dispute for investigation. Urgency could justify preservation. It could not justify prejudgment,” the petition stated.
What’s At Stake
The group says the issue goes beyond Ashanti Region.
“This petition is not merely about the Ashanti Regional elections. It concerns the supremacy of the Party’s Constitution and the integrity of the Party’s internal democratic processes,” it concluded.
