The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) internal crisis in Nandom has deepened after Constituency Chairman Patrick Nakpenaah was accused of leading a group of people to forcibly enter the party’s constituency office and remove properties.
The alleged incident occurred around 2:00 p.m. on Monday, November 9, 2026, reportedly leaving the constituency without an operational party office and further straining relations among elected executives.
Constituency Secretary, Edmund Bangnia Aayel, said he was neither informed about nor involved in the operation, which allegedly took place while he was away in Wa on official assignment.
He accused the chairman of bypassing established party procedures by gaining access to the office without formally seeking permission or securing approval from a properly constituted Executive Committee meeting.
Mr Aayel also alleged that some of the items removed included his personal belongings.
According to him, the incident followed an earlier attempt by the chairman to relocate the constituency office to his private facility, a move he said was opposed by other elected executives.
He maintained that the existing office, inherited from the previous administration, remained in good condition and was adequately furnished and air-conditioned by the former NPP Member of Parliament.
“The party is not the chairman. Chairmen come and go, but the party remains and must be seen as bigger than any individual, including the chairman,” Mr Aayel stressed.
He further accused Mr Nakpenaah of sidelining elected constituency executives in favour of individuals aligned with him, warning that such actions undermined the authority of the party’s established structures.
Regional chairman intervenes as executives shelve police action
Mr Aayel disclosed that some aggrieved executives had considered reporting the alleged incident to the police but suspended the move following an intervention by the Regional Chairman.
The executives have agreed to give the party’s internal structures an opportunity to resolve the matter.
Mr Nakpenaah’s response to the allegations was not available at the time of publication. His response will be published later when it is made available to the media.
Disputed constituency elections fuel tensions
The latest confrontation comes against the background of prolonged disagreements following the Nandom constituency elections.
Mr Nakpenaah was initially disqualified by the party’s vetting committee following a petition which reportedly accused him of working against the NPP during the 2024 general elections.
The petitioners alleged that he had defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and campaigned against the NPP and its parliamentary candidate.
However, the Regional Executive Committee subsequently overturned the vetting committee’s decision, allowing him to contest the constituency elections.
The reversal generated controversy among sections of the constituency, with some members questioning the basis for the decision.
There were also allegations that financial inducements were used to influence delegates in favour of Mr Nakpenaah. These claims have not been independently established.
Tensions reportedly intensified after the elections over the composition of the constituency executive structure.
Some elected executives accused the chairman of sidelining nine elected officers and favouring individuals from his camp who had contested and lost in the elections.
The disagreement subsequently spilled into the party’s regional executive elections, where the nine executives reportedly challenged the voting rights of individuals they considered unilateral appointees.
The aggrieved officers also accused the then Regional Executive Committee of bias in handling their concerns.
NPP leadership under pressure
The latest incident has renewed questions about the ability of the NPP’s regional and national leadership to resolve the divisions in Nandom.
With the constituency office’s operations reportedly disrupted and relations among key executives deteriorating, the party faces a growing challenge to restore internal cohesion.
The crisis also raises concerns about the NPP’s grassroots organisation as it prepares for the 2028 general elections.
The immediate challenge for the party’s leadership is to resolve the leadership disagreements, uphold its constitutional procedures and restore confidence among its elected constituency officers before the divisions further weaken its political base in Nandom.
Source: www.kumasimail.com/Samuel Yaghr
