NPP
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is now the official leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following a significant constitutional amendment approved by delegates at the party’s National Delegates Conference.
The change, which designates the party’s flagbearer as its leader rather than the National Chairman, was one of 14 constitutional amendments passed on Saturday, October 3, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi. The shift positions Bawumia firmly at the helm of the party as it gears up for the 2028 general election.
The amendment reverses a clause introduced at the NPP’s January 31, 2026 conference, which had stipulated that the National Chairman would lead the party at all material times.
The approval of the amendments on Saturday did not come without contention. Acting National Chairman Joseph Danquah Smith had earlier proposed deferring the constitutional review to the next conference. He argued that time constraints would prevent delegates from adequately reviewing the proposed changes while also focusing on the national executive elections.
Despite Smith’s concerns, the party proceeded with the review, with delegates voting to approve all 14 motions presented by the Constitution Amendment Committee.
In addition to the leadership change, delegates approved a new electoral system for the party’s Vice Chairpersons. Previously, all candidates ran in a single pool for National First Vice Chairman, with the first, second, and third positions assigned based on the order of votes received. Under the newly approved system, candidates will declare and contest for specific Vice Chairperson roles. Furthermore, the party will now introduce three additional Vice Chairpersons who will be appointed rather than elected.
Other structural changes approved include the creation of Deputy Communications Officer positions and the elevation of the IT Officer to an executive role.
Frank Davies, Chairman of the NPP Constitution Amendment Committee, explained that the amendments were necessary to fix structural gaps and address missteps from the party’s previous amendment in 2025.
“These limited constitutional amendments were necessitated by some acts of omission and commission, which heralded the last amendment we had in 2025, so this is to cure the grey areas that we overlooked,” Davies stated. He emphasized the importance of the changes, noting their significant ramifications for the party’s organizational structure moving forward.
The constitutional review marked the first segment of the conference, followed by the election of new national officers. A total of 7,163 delegates from all 16 regions are participating in the event, casting their votes across 31 polling stations for nine national executive positions, an exercise being supervised and verified by the Electoral Commission.