By Prince Ahenkorah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), is once again in the spotlight, as explosive revelations by two of its most controversial regional chairmen have thrown the party’s upcoming presidential primaries into turmoil.
Ashanti Regional Chairman, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, and Bono Regional Chairman, Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye DC, have openly suggested the existence of a calculated rigging scheme designed to secure victory for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the party’s 2024 presidential candidate and leading contender in the January 31, 2026, flagbearership primaries.
Their revelations, which have gone viral through social media clips, have ignited fierce reactions within the party, forced the national leadership into defensive mode, and deepened suspicions about internal bias in favour of Bawumia.
In one video making the rounds online, Chairman Wontumi is seen addressing NPP delegates. With unusual sincerity, he suggested that the decision to repeat the delegates from the 2023 primaries in the 2026 flagbearership race was a deliberate ploy to tilt the contest in favour of Dr. Bawumia.
“So I will plead with you; it is because of Bawumia, that is the reason why we have repeated you. Because we repeated some people because of Kufuor, we have repeated you too because of Bawumia,” Wontumi declared, referencing former President John Agyekum Kufuor’s 1998 flagbearership bid.
By invoking history, Wontumi attempted to justify the supposed arrangement. He argued that just as Kufuor was strategically retained by regional delegates in the 1990s, Bawumia too needed similar consistency to strengthen the NPP’s electoral fortunes in 2028.
If Wontumi’s comments shocked delegates, Abronye’s remarks outright unsettled them. Speaking on his show on Ohia TV, the Bono Regional Chairman openly bragged about his absolute control over the regional album for the primaries.
“When the time is due for the elections, you will go there and not find your name. It is a matter of a phone call. If I call and tell them ‘Clear this specific person,’ that person is finished,” Abronye mentioned.
His statement implied he could unilaterally manipulate the voter roll to eliminate delegates opposed to his preferred outcome. Beyond raising concerns of manipulation, the comment has been viewed as an attempt to intimidate dissenters and consolidate power in favour of Bawumia’s camp.
Alarmed by the storm generated by the chairmen’s remarks, the NPP leadership quickly moved to contain the damage. In a statement signed by General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong on September 28, 2025, the party categorically disassociated itself from the comments.
“The remarks by Chairman Wontumi and Chairman Abronye do not reflect the official position of the party,” the statement read.
It further stressed that “no individual, regardless of rank or influence, has unilateral control over the compilation of polling station albums,” noting that the process is guided by strict compliance procedures to ensure transparency and credibility.
The statement clarified that the January 31, 2026, date for the primaries was not fixed to favour any aspirant but was decided by the National Council after exhaustive deliberations in the supreme interest of the party.
“The decision to hold an early congress is intended solely to provide the Party with sufficient time and strategic advantage to reorganize, reposition, and recapture power in 2028,” the leadership explained.
Not one to back down easily, Chairman Wontumi has responded to the General Secretary’s rebuke. He insists that his comments were taken out of context and misrepresented.
According to him, his remarks were rooted in historical reflection and were not meant to suggest active rigging but rather to draw lessons from the party’s past in strategizing for the future.
He cited former President Kufuor’s journey in the 1990s, recalling how Kufuor secured 39% in the 1996 primaries and was again given the nod in 1998, eventually leading the NPP to victory in 2000.
Wontumi argued that his intent was to highlight continuity as a winning strategy and that his loyalty to the party remains unwavering.
But the backlash has not ended with a mere clarification. The campaign team for Assin Central MP and flagbearer hopeful Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has waded in with a scathing demand for disciplinary action.
In a statement signed by campaign spokesperson Kwasi Kwarteng, Esq., Team Ken accused the two chairmen of gross misconduct that undermines party unity and threatens the integrity of the primaries.
The statement noted that both Wontumi and Abronye are not just regional executives but also members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Council; two of the party’s highest decision-making bodies.
“It is wholly inadequate for the party leadership to simply dissociate itself from their reckless utterances. It has to be both condemned and sanctioned,” the statement charged.
The Agyapong camp warned that failure to act swiftly and decisively would only fuel suspicions of bias and lend credibility to the belief that there is a calculated orchestration to skew the primaries in favour of Dr. Bawumia.
“Team Ken remains resolute in its commitment to a transparent, free, and fair electoral process. We have put in place a robust anti-rigging architecture to safeguard the sanctity and integrity of the upcoming primaries.”
The controversy has deepened perceptions of division within the NPP. For some political analysts, the comments by Wontumi and Abronye expose cracks in the party’s democratic fabric, suggesting that certain influential blocs are willing to bend the rules to guarantee Bawumia’s flagbearership.
As the January 31, 2026, primaries draw closer, the party finds itself chasing its own shadows, balancing between damage control, factional pressures, and the urgent need to preserve its credibility.
What remains certain is that the outcome of this drama will shape not only the future of the NPP but also Ghana’s political landscape as the nation inches toward the 2028 general elections.