NPP UK Chairman Questions Appointment of Emelia Afi Agbenyo to EC, Warns of 2028 Election Dispute

The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) UK Branch, Andy Owusu, has warned that the appointment of *Emelia Afi Agbenyo* as Deputy to the Electoral Commission (EC) risks undermining the credibility of the Commission and setting the stage for an election dispute in 2028.

Speaking exclusively to Channel 247 in Accra, Mr. Owusu questioned the decision by the President to appoint Ms. Agbenyo, describing her as a known party activist whose appointment breaches the neutrality expected of the electoral management body.

“How do you put somebody in such a difficult situation? You are breaking every fiber of credibility in the office of the Electoral Commission by handpicking somebody who is a known party member, not affiliate, and a known party activist and a known party front face in terms of policy direction, into the office of the Electoral Commission,” he said, referring directly to Emelia Afi Agbenyo.

Mr. Owusu said while Presidents have busy schedules and rely on briefers to provide background on appointees, the ultimate responsibility rests with the President. He expressed hope that the briefers may have overlooked the political history of Ms. Agbenyo.

“I am giving the President the benefit of doubt. People will submit names that this may be a credible person for X office or Y office. The President has a very busy schedule… you will expect officers to be able to give him a briefing, and the briefing should actually provide a clear, informed narrative of who he is appointing to which office. I am assuming that the briefers may have overlooked,” he stated.

He advised the President, who is constitutionally barred from contesting again, to protect his legacy.

“For me, he’s a President that is leaving office. It’s not his election that will be a subject of controversy in 2028. My genuine advice is that if you are leaving the scene, you leave when the applause is high, not when it’s low. You are proverbially setting a scene for an election dispute in 2028,” Mr. Owusu warned.

He argued that the focus is now on Ms. Agbenyo and whether she can detach from her open political affiliation to work as a neutral deputy at the EC.

Using an analogy, he said: “If you were to turn up in court today, and you are in dispute with the judge’s own son in the courtroom, and then you appeal to the Chief Justice, and the Chief Justice said, ‘well, the judge sitting on the case swore an oath to be impartial, so just go through the process.’ What would you say? You would say, hell no.”

Mr. Owusu dismissed calls to give Ms. Agbenyo the benefit of the doubt, insisting the principle of perceived impartiality must be upheld for the EC to maintain public trust.

NPP Accepting Defeat And Reorganizing For 2028

On the party’s future, the NPP UK Chairman said the party has accepted its defeat in the 2024 elections in good faith and has begun a structured reorganization.

“Sometimes blessings come when you accept defeat in grace. We lost the 2024 election,” he said, adding that the NPP has completed internal elections from polling station level to regional, external and national levels without incident.

He said the party’s presidential candidate is settled in the person of “His Excellency Dr. Alhaji Mahamud Bawumia, the digital man.”

Mr. Owusu took a swipe at the NDC government’s flagship 24-hour economy policy, which was sold as a solution to unemployment through a three-shift system. He claimed a personal visit to the secretariat of the policy showed little activity.

“I’ve been to Ghana and I’ve tried to visit the 24-hour office… I was there around 9, I couldn’t see even an ant. By 11 I could see one or two people troop into the office, by 2 it was dead silent,” he claimed.

NPP UK’s 3-Point Plan For 2028

Mr. Owusu outlined a three-pronged strategy being executed by the NPP UK Branch, which comprises 18 strong chapters, to help the party return to power in 2028.

First, mobilizing voices to communicate the NPP’s record to Ghanaians at home and abroad in different languages.

“Everything that is working in Ghana today that people are taking credit for is things that NPP put in place. Now the things too that actually were put in place that the NDC all that they needed to do was to coast, not touch it, they’ve gone to touch it and broken it. School placement, big scandal,” he said.

Second, serving as ground foot soldiers who will be present in Ghana in their numbers during the campaign.

Third, mobilizing resources to support the party.

“You don’t go to the battlefield with an empty stomach. We are putting all our arsenals together to support the party back home to be able to wrestle power from the NDC,” he said, adding that the UK Branch will adopt constituencies lost to the NDC to help win them back.