NPP In Bloody Brawl!

Former EPA Boss Exchange Blows Over ‘Family-Stacked’ Voter Register

By Gifty Boateng

Chaos has erupted in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stronghold of Nhyieso, where two heavyweight stalwarts engaged in a physical brawl over a membership registration exercise that has exposed deep cracks in the party’s internal democracy.
Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu, former boss of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and aspiring national general secretary, allegedly traded hot blows with Abrahim Boadi, popularly known as Opooman, a self-confessed “Alan man” who remains in the party and is eyeing the First Vice Chairman position in the constituency.
The bloody confrontation happened at Lovers Inn Spot which also doubles as Dr. Kokofu’s private residence. The former EPA chief reportedly ended up with bruises on his cheeks after the melee.
At the heart of the violence is a fierce battle over control of the party’s base. According to multiple accounts, Dr. Kokofu who is not an assigned registration officer allegedly seized NPP-branded registration books and set up an unapproved registration centre at his home.
The exercise was supposed to take place at the Oasis Electoral Area, a designated polling station in Zone 2 of the constituency. Instead, Kokofu is accused of relocating the entire process to Lovers Inn Spot to register his family members, including his wife, children, and aunties.
“The party says it is the people on this registration exercise that will elect the five people for polling station executives,” an angry Opooman told Kumasi-based Owia TV. “So he is registering his wife, children, and his aunties. In today’s NPP, when you look at the register, it contains one person’s wife, children and siblings the five constitutes one family. How is that possible?”
Opooman, who claims to have been the first polling station chairman at Ahodwo Clinic during the party’s early years, said he and his team alerted constituency executives after learning that the Oasis polling station had been moved to Kokofu’s house.
But according to him, no one acted. Instead, the constituency secretary, Essel Mills Sir John, demanded evidence.
“So I went to Kokofu’s house to get my evidence. That is why we started recording when we were going,” Opooman explained. “When he saw that we were recording, he said we should leave his house. I retorted that since you have brought registration here, I am here to register to get my evidence that you are registering people at home.”
The confrontation quickly turned physical, with both men allegedly exchanging blows.
Though Kokofu and Opooman are vying for different positions Kokofu wants to retain his constituency coordinator role and eventually become national general secretary, while Opooman is contesting for First Vice Chairman the registration exercise is the foundation upon which all party elections are built.
“This registration is what is going to be used to prepare the base,” Opooman warned. “These are the people that are going to vote five each, and the five will vote for coordinators, then vote for executives.”
He fears that if Kokofu is allowed to register his own family members and loyalists, the entire leadership structure of the constituency could be rigged in Kokofu’s favour.
Essel Mills, the constituency secretary who is also running for chairman, confirmed the incident and said an investigation has been launched. Five party officers in Zone 2 including research officer Jimmy Boakye Ansah, Deputy Women Organizer Evelyn Osei, and Deputy Organizer James Kwadwo Adusei have been tasked to submit a report by Wednesday.
Mills also revealed that calls have come in from both regional and national party headquarters.
But when pressed on whether Opooman is even a legitimate member of the NPP in Nhyieso, Mills gave a telling response: “I have not said that.”
Opooman, however, insists he remains a dedicated member who was never expelled. “If they intend to sack me, I am available to receive the sack letter,” he fired back.
For a party that prides itself on internal democracy, the Nhyieso brawl exposes a troubling reality: when influential figures can relocate registration to their living rooms and register relatives at will, the very concept of a fair internal election becomes a mirage.
As the investigation unfolds and the bruises heal, one question lingers: Is the NPP still in control of its own base or have the bigwigs taken over?