The race for the Ashanti Regional Chairman position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is shaping up to be the defining contest in the party’s regional executive elections.
Political analysts are expecting a fiercely contested battle between Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah (COKA) and the Former Bantama MP, Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu.
The Ashanti Regional executive elections is this weekend, with keen contests expected in several regions as the party intensifies its reorganisation ahead of the 2028 general election.
The elections will take place at the Kumasi Jubilee Park on Saturday, August 15,2026.
The exercise is expected to produce regional leadership teams responsible for driving grassroots mobilisation and strengthening the party’s organisational structures as it seeks to recover from its defeat in the 2024 general election. The reorganisation will culminate in the election of national officers on October 3, 2026.
The Regional Delegates Conference is made up of members of the Regional Executive Committee, Members of Parliament (MPs), constituency executive committees, representatives of the Regional Council of Elders and Council of Patrons, as well as representatives of TESCON and other constitutionally recognised groups.
Delegates will elect regional chairpersons, first and second vice-chairpersons, secretaries and deputy secretaries, treasurers, organisers, women’s organisers, youth organisers, Nasara organisers, communications officers and Persons with Disability (PWD) coordinators.
The Ashanti Region is expected to attract considerable attention, with former Afigya Sekyere South Constituency Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah (COKA), challenging former Bantama MP and Environmental Protection Authority Chief Executive, Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, for the chairmanship.
Both candidates have embarked on vigorous campaigns, with COKA maintaining that he remains focused on securing the mandate. The contest has generated significant interest, with 34 aspirants cleared to contest various positions following the vetting process.
The chairmanship position has emerged as the centre of attention because of the strategic importance of the Ashanti Region to the party’s electoral fortunes and organisational strength.
The two-house contest for the chairmanship position is a straight contest between two experienced party’s figures with contrasting political strengths.
COKA enters the race with an established grassroots network built over the years of active party mobilization.
His presence in the 2022 Ashanti Regional executive elections, where he secured 306 votes against current Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako’s 464 votes, has strengthened the perception that he commands considerable support among delegates and remains a formidable contender.
Dr Kokofu , on the other hand, brings to the race extensive public service experience, having served as Member of Parliament for Bantama, Chairman of Bantama NPP Constituency and later as Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority.
His campaign appealed to delegates looking for administrative experience and a leadership style capable of repositioning the regional party.
The outcome is therefore likely to depend on which candidate succeeds in consolidating support among constituency executives and others, who remain the backbone of the party’s electoral college.
The NPP Ashanti Regional Office in Kumasi, venue for the event as well as streets and corners of Kumasi have also become focal points of campaign activities, with posters of aspirants dominating its surroundings, reflecting the heightened interest in the elections.
Campaign at all the 47 constituencies has ended with various candidates currently mapping out strategies for the election on Saturday, August 15,2025.
By Benjamin Aidoo
