The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is heading into another important internal election, with four experienced party figures competing to become the next National Chairman.
The race has attracted former National Chairman Paul Afoko, former General Secretary John Boadu, former Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko and former Greater Accra Regional Chairman Sammy Crabbe.
Their backgrounds are different, but all four have spent years within the NPP and have held positions that have brought them close to the party’s grassroots and national leadership.
With the NPP trying to rebuild after its 2024 election defeat and prepare for the 2028 general election, the contest is about more than simply choosing a chairman.
Delegates are also choosing the person they believe can help reorganise the party, unite its members and strengthen its chances of returning to power.
As the elections draw closer, The Ghana Report takes a look at the men who want to lead the elephant.
Paul Afoko: The Former Chairman Seeking a Return
Paul Awentami Afoko is perhaps the most familiar figure in the contest because he has already occupied the position he is seeking.
He became NPP National Chairman in April 2014 after winning the position at the party’s national delegates conference in Tamale. He became the first person of northern Ghanaian extraction to occupy the position.
His time as chairman, however, was cut short by internal disagreements. In 2015, the NPP suspended him indefinitely following internal party disputes.
General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyepong and then Second Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe were also suspended during the same period. Afoko challenged the action and maintained that it was not properly justified.
Despite the difficult chapter, Afoko has returned to the race with a message centred on reconciliation.
His current agenda is built around what he calls the “Three Rs”: reunite, restructure and restrengthen the party before attempting to recapture power in 2028. He has also spoken about strengthening polling-station structures and investing more in the grassroots.
Afoko is therefore presenting himself as a man who knows both the strengths and weaknesses of the party from the inside.
John Boadu: The Party Organiser
If experience within the NPP’s organisational structure is the main measure, John Boadu enters the race with one of the strongest records.
His political journey began at the grassroots. He served as a Polling Station Chairman, later becoming Constituency Secretary.
He also served as Regional Research and Information Officer, National Youth Treasurer, National Finance Officer, National Youth Organiser, Deputy National Communications Director and National Organiser.
He later became Director of Operations and Logistics for the NPP’s 2016 and 2020 election campaigns.
In 2015, he became interim General Secretary following the suspension of Kwabena Agyei Agyepong. In 2018, he was elected substantive General Secretary, a position he held until losing to Justin Frimpong Kodua in the 2022 national executive elections.
Boadu has also served outside the party. In December 2023, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo appointed him Director-General of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA).
His campaign is built largely around experience, party organisation and his understanding of the NPP’s internal structures. He says the party needs a chairman who understands how it works and can help position it for the 2028 elections.
Boakye Agyarko: From Banker to Energy Minister
Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko brings a different kind of experience to the contest.
Before becoming a prominent figure in Ghanaian politics, he built a long career in banking in the United States. He worked for more than two decades at the Bank of New York, eventually rising to Vice President and Head of Global Network Management in the Investment Management and Services Division.
His political involvement goes back many years. He served as chairman of the Danquah-Busia Club of North America and later became Coordinator for the NPP in North America, helping to organise the party’s activities among Ghanaians abroad. He also served as a trustee of the Busia Foundation.
After returning to Ghana, Agyarko contested the NPP presidential primaries in 2007. In 2009, he served on the Dr Heymann Committee, which toured the country as part of efforts to reorganise the party.
In 2011, he was appointed National Campaign Manager for the NPP’s 2012 election campaign and later served as a policy adviser to the 2016 campaign.
His biggest government position came after the NPP returned to power in 2017, when he became Minister for Energy.
As Energy Minister, he supervised major institutions including the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, Ghana National Gas Company, National Petroleum Authority, Tema Oil Refinery, Volta River Authority, Electricity Company of Ghana and GRIDCo.
Agyarko is now seeking to use that political, managerial and international experience to lead the NPP.
Sammy Crabbe: The Former Regional Chairman
Sammy Crabbe is another candidate with deep roots in the party’s internal administration.
He previously served as Greater Accra Regional Chairman and later became Second Vice Chairman of the NPP.
His political journey also became closely connected with the party’s internal crisis in 2015 and 2016. He was suspended indefinitely alongside Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.
Crabbe later attempted to enter the national chairmanship race but withdrew after an incident at the party headquarters prevented him from picking up nomination forms.
He is now back in the contest, presenting himself as a candidate who understands the party’s grassroots and the need for discipline and internal renewal.
After his recent vetting, Crabbe said the party needs leadership that reflects its traditions and is prepared to listen to its grassroots.
He has identified reconnecting with the grassroots, reforming party structures and re-energising the youth and women’s wings as key parts of his agenda.
Four Candidates, One Crucial Choice
The four candidates bring different experiences to the table.
Afoko offers the experience of a former chairman seeking a second chance. Boadu brings decades of organisational experience, having worked his way from the polling station to the national secretariat.
Agyarko combines party activism with extensive private-sector and government experience, while Crabbe brings experience as both a regional and national party executive.
The NPP’s national executive elections are scheduled for October 3, 2026. The four candidates will be competing for the chairmanship at a time when the party is trying to recover from its 2024 defeat and reorganise ahead of 2028.
For delegates, therefore, the central question may not simply be who has held the most positions.
It may be who can use that experience to bring the party together, strengthen its structures and give the NPP a realistic path back to power.
