Ahead of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Executive elections scheduled for October 3, 2026, former Vice President and NPP flagbearer, H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and his camp have settled on former General Secretary John Boadu as their preferred candidate for the National Chairmanship position, as the party prepares to reorganise its structures and position itself for the December 2028 general elections.
Credible information from within Dr Bawumia’s camp indicates that the decision follows extensive internal deliberations on who should occupy the various national executive positions and who would be most compatible with the flagbearer’s aims and vision for the party ahead of 2028.
The decision has become particularly important following setbacks recorded by the Bawumia camp in the recently concluded Regional Executive elections, particularly in the Eastern, Greater Accra, Ahafo and Ashanti Regions.
The setbacks are believed to have heightened the determination of the Bawumia camp to secure greater influence over the composition of the party’s national leadership, which it considers critical to rebuilding the party and preparing for the 2028 general elections.
According to Global InfoAnalytics, John Boadu and Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko are among the leading contenders for the National Chairmanship position.
Before the withdrawal of former Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, from the contest, the Bawumia camp was reportedly divided between Mr Wontumi and Mr Boadu, while some members of the camp were also rooting for Mr. Agyarko.
Dr. Bawumia himself was initially said to be comfortable with Chairman Wontumi as a possible choice. However, following Wontumi’s withdrawal from the race after his conviction and subsequent imprisonment, that option was effectively closed, creating the need for the camp to settle on another candidate who could meet its strategic objectives.
It is for this reason that Dr. Bawumia and his camp have activated key supporters across the country to campaign for John Boadu.
Bono Regional Chairman Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, has been seen campaigning for John Boadu, while Wontumi’s campaign team has also announced its support for the former General Secretary.
The endorsement by Wontumi’s campaign team could strengthen Mr Boadu’s position, particularly among delegates and party executives who previously supported the former Ashanti Regional Chairman.
Three key considerations
Credible information from within the Bawumia camp indicates that three major considerations influenced the decision to support John Boadu.
The first and most important consideration is to have a National Chairman who will respect and work closely with the flagbearer and be prepared to support his vision for the party.
The second consideration is to have a National Chairman who would provide the political justification for a possible change in the NPP’s parliamentary leadership, particularly the position of Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin.
The third consideration is the future of Dr Bawumia beyond the 2028 election.
The camp is said to want a National Chairman who would be willing to support Dr Bawumia’s possible bid for the NPP flagbearership in 2032, should the party fail to win the 2028 general election.
Why Agyarko is not the choice
After what has been described as extensive analysis and deliberations, the Bawumia camp has ruled out supporting Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko for the National Chairmanship.
One of the major concerns is Mr. Agyarko’s previous presidential ambition.
The Bawumia camp is reportedly concerned that if Mr. Agyarko becomes National Chairman, he could use the position to build a strong political base within the party and, should the NPP fail to win the 2028 election, emerge as a major threat to Dr. Bawumia in a future presidential contest.
A second concern is that Mr. Agyarko could potentially use the position to settle political scores against individuals he believes offended or undermined him during the Akufo-Addo administration.
The third consideration relates to Mr. Agyarko’s longstanding association with the NPP. As a founding member of the party, some within the Bawumia camp reportedly fear that he may not accord Dr Bawumia the level of respect and deference they expect from a National Chairman.
The fourth concern is that an Agyarko chairmanship may not support the camp’s preferred strategy of changing the Minority Leader.
The fifth and perhaps most significant concern is the belief that it would be difficult to persuade Mr. Agyarko to support any attempt to position Dr Bawumia for another presidential bid ahead of 2032 general election.
The Bawumia camp is therefore said to have concluded that Mr Agyarko does not meet the strategic requirements it has set for the National Chairmanship.
Why John Boadu?
Although incumbent General Secretary Justin Kodua, who has been associated with the party’s top-down approach to selecting its presidential candidate, may not be entirely comfortable with a John Boadu chairmanship, the Bawumia camp reportedly considers Mr. Boadu a more suitable and manageable option.
John Boadu’s major advantage, according to the thinking within the camp, is his extensive experience within the NPP and the nationwide political structures he has developed over the years.
As a former General Secretary, Mr. Boadu has worked with the party’s structures across the country and established relationships and networks with party executives and grassroots members across the regions.
His strength, therefore, is not based solely on a particular regional political base but on the national structures and networks he has built through years of service to the NPP.
The Bawumia camp believes this experience makes him better positioned to help rebuild the party, strengthen its structures and prepare it for the 2028 elections.
The Central Region factor
A key political calculation behind the Bawumia camp’s support for John Boadu is the issue of regional balance within the NPP’s national leadership.
John Boadu hails from the Central Region, the same region from which the current Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, comes.
The Bawumia camp’s argument is that having both the National Chairman and the Minority Leader coming from the Central Region would not provide adequate regional balance in the party’s top leadership.
Consequently, if John Boadu becomes National Chairman, the camp believes there would be a strong and understandable basis for reviewing the position of the Minority Leader.
The argument, according to the camp’s calculations, is that the NPP should strive for broader geographical balance in the distribution of its top leadership positions rather than concentrate two major positions in one region.
The camp believes this reasoning will resonate with party members and could make it easier to justify any proposed change to the Minority Leadership without presenting the move merely as an internal political manoeuvre.
Looking beyond 2028
Beyond the immediate objective of preparing the NPP for the 2028 general election, the Bawumia camp is also believed to be looking at the party’s presidential succession beyond 2028.
Should the NPP fail to return to power in 2028, the camp wants a National Chairman who would be prepared to support Dr Bawumia if he decides to seek the party’s presidential nomination again ahead of 2032.
This consideration is said to have played a significant role in the decision to reject Mr. Agyarko and settle on Mr. Boadu.
The calculations within the camp a
re that Mr Boadu would be less likely to emerge as a direct presidential threat to Dr Bawumia and more likely to support the former Vice President’s political ambitions should he decide to contest again.
John Boadu picks number one position
In a related development at the NPP headquarters on Wednesday, September 9, former General Secretary John Boadu secured the number one position on the ballot paper for the party’s National Chairmanship election scheduled for October 3, 2026.
Mr. Boadu emerged first in the balloting process conducted to determine the order in which candidates will appear on the ballot paper.
He was followed by Sammy Crabbe, who picked the second position, while former National Chairman Paul Afoko secured the third slot.
Former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko will occupy the fourth position on the ballot paper.
The balloting forms part of preparations for the national executive elections, with candidates expected to intensify their campaigns and engagements with delegates in the weeks leading to the polls.
The National Chairmanship contest is therefore expected to be a major test of the competing political interests within the NPP as the party seeks to rebuild after its defeat in the 2024 general election and position itself for the 2028 elections.
For the Bawumia camp, however, the election goes beyond the choice of a National Chairman.
The contest is also about who controls the party’s organisational machinery, who shapes the NPP’s parliamentary leadership and, ultimately, who influences the party’s presidential succession after 2028.
In our next edition, The Overseer will publish the names of possible candidates being considered as replacements for Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and examine the political calculations behind the proposed change.
