Solomon Owusu, a former member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has criticised the party leadership over its reaction to comments made by their Bono and Ashanti Regional Chairmen.
Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, reportedly claimed the party leadership scheduled the January 31, 2026, election to favor a particular candidate.
Meanwhile, Kwame Baffoe Agyei, popularly known as Abronye, the Bono Regional Chair, is also reported to have said he would prevent certain party elements from participating in the upcoming primary, given his role in compiling the register in the region.
But the party says these remarks do not represent its official position.
A Sunday, September 28, 2025 statement issued and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, dismissed the assertions, stressing that no individual, irrespective of rank or position, wields unilateral control over the compilation of polling station albums.
He assured party members that the National Secretariat will, in due course, issue clear and transparent guidelines to guarantee the credibility, integrity and fairness in the exercise, while clarifying that the compilation of album is guided by strict compliance procedures.
It added that the January 31 date for the presidential primary was influenced by “exhaustive deliberations in the supreme interest of the party”, calling on all stakeholders, especially polling station executives, to disregard the utterances he describes as misleading.
“The decision to hold an early congress is intended solely to provide the Party with sufficient time and strategic advantage to reorganise, reposition, and recapture power in 2028,” the statement explained.
Reacting to the issue on TV3’s NewDay on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Solomon Owusu, now a member of the Movement for Change, indicated that the comments from the two party faithful are true.
He explained that the comments from Wontumi and Abronye reflect the reality within the NPP, but they just put the party in a bad light.
“It’s a factual statement and I don’t see why or how anybody, including Koduah himself could challenge this position, so they spoke the truth. Except that the truth rather put the party in the very bad shape,” he stated.
He explained that the regional chairmen wield power to the extent that they can decide who occupies positions in the party by altering the voter’s register to get their favourites in power.
“It’s practically the truth. If you’ve been involved in NPP politics, you know that the Regional Chairman has a lot of influence. They control many of the executives, and so it’s very easy for them to put their cronies in the various polling stations. That way, when it’s time to elect parliamentary candidates, these same delegates will go and vote for these aspirants. And when it’s time for the flagbearership elections, the same delegates will go and vote for these aspirants, including themselves, since they’ll also be seeking re-election,” he explained.
I’m ready to face the Disciplinary Committee – Abronye replies NPP leadership
