NPP’s NEC Rejects Akufo-Addo and Kufuor’s Call to Postpone Delegates Conference

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has turned down a petition from former Presidents Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Agyekum Kufuor to delay the party’s upcoming national delegates conference.

GhanaWeb reports that the NEC made the decision during a meeting in Accra on Monday, July 14, 2025. As a result, the conference will proceed as originally scheduled.

Chairman of the Planning Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu (also known as Joe Wise), confirmed that the two-day conference will take place on Thursday, July 18, and Friday, July 19, 2025, at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, with an expected attendance of 5,675 delegates.

Addressing the media at the NPP headquarters in Accra on July 10, Osei-Owusu emphasized that all conference activities would be confined to the stadium, with thorough logistical and security measures already in place.

He also addressed health concerns following reports of a COVID-19 case at the University of Ghana, assuring the public that the party had implemented safety protocols to protect all participants.

The central focus of the conference will be on constitutional reforms. According to Osei-Owusu, the proposed amendments — compiled in a 300-page report and summarized in a 64-page document — will be discussed and voted on by delegates in the form of specific motions.

Sources indicate that the majority of NEC members, including regional chairpersons and MPs, were strongly against the idea of postponing the congress. A regional chairman, speaking to Kumasi Mail, stated that 14 out of the 16 regional chairpersons supported holding the congress early.

He argued that the party needs to quickly elect a new flagbearer to address the internal disunity and fallout from the NPP’s significant defeat to the NDC in the 2024 elections.

“Our party is deeply divided. An early congress is critical to regaining focus and restoring discipline,” he said.

He also referenced the controversy surrounding the Ablekuma North re-run, where NPP candidate Akua Afriyie defied party orders and contested with support from within the party — a situation he said exposed leadership weaknesses.

An NPP MP echoed this view, emphasizing that early elections are essential to unite the party and prepare adequately for 2028. He dismissed any attempt to return to a top-down approach for selecting party executives, reportedly proposed by former President Akufo-Addo.

“If that proposal is tabled, it will be immediately rejected,” the MP declared.