A house may stand firm against the fiercest storm, but when cracks begin to spread through its foundation, even the strongest walls can become vulnerable. In the Ashanti Region, long regarded as a crucial electoral stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the question confronting party faithful is whether the structure remains as solid as it appears from the outside.
Beneath the familiar colours, campaign slogans and public declarations of loyalty, a contest for influence is unfolding among powerful political figures whose competing interests are increasingly becoming a subject of concern within the party.
At the centre of the unfolding political drama are two camps associated with Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, Member of Parliament for Afigyase Asokore Constituency, and Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the former Manhyia South MP and NPP’s running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
Dr. Ayew Afrieyie is associated with the camp of former Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi, while the NAPO is aligned with the current regional chairman, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, widely known as COKA.
Their competing interests have fuelled concerns about whether the party’s regional machinery is operating as a united political organisation or increasingly resembling two rival kingdoms sharing one territory.
For a party preparing for the 2028 general election, the distinction is not merely symbolic. It could shape the strength of its grassroots organisation, the confidence of its members and its ability to present a united front when the next electoral contest arrives.
When two elephants fight, the grass suffers
An old African proverb warns that when two elephants fight, it is the grass beneath their feet that suffers.
In party politics, the grassroot is often made up of constituency executives, youth organisers, polling station agents and ordinary members whose loyalty keeps the political machinery running long after the cameras have disappeared.
The concerns emerging from the Ashanti Region suggest that the struggle for influence may be extending beyond disagreements among leading personalities into the day-to-day administration of the party.
Sources within the regional executive structure have alleged that elected officials are being sidelined while their appointed deputies receive greater attention and opportunities to participate in party activities.
The pattern, if established, would raise important questions about the relationship between electoral mandates within the party and the exercise of authority by its regional leadership.
Under the previous regional administration led by Chairman Wontumi, some elected executives were reportedly marginalised because they had not supported his bid for re-election. Those cited in accounts of the earlier tensions include former Regional Youth Organiser Raphael Patrick Sarfo and Regional Organiser Francis Adomako.
Similar concerns are now being raised under the current administration, with allegations that elected Regional Youth Organiser Martin Ameyaw, Regional Organizer Dennis Kwakwa, Women’s Organiser Aunte Bee and Second Vice Chairman Chairman Aikins, among others, have been sidelined in favour of appointed deputies.
These allegations have not been independently established. Nevertheless, they point to a potentially damaging perception within the party: that political loyalty to a particular camp may count for more than the mandate conferred by internal elections.
If elected officers are left watching from the sidelines while appointed officials take centre stage, the party risks creating a dangerous precedent in which internal elections determine titles but factional loyalty determines influence.
A political organisation cannot claim to empower its members through democratic elections while allowing unresolved rivalries to undermine the authority of those they elect.
The regional chairmanship and the shadow of old rivalries
The contest between COKA and the Wontumi camp did not emerge in a political vacuum.
The Ashanti NPP has long been shaped by personalities with strong grassroots networks, financial influence and ambitions that extend beyond regional administration. Such figures can be valuable assets to a party, but competing power centres can also become a liability when personal disagreements begin to overshadow institutional responsibilities.
COKA’s emergence as regional chairman was expected to provide an opportunity for reconciliation and a fresh beginning. Instead, allegations of continuing exclusions have prompted concerns that the region may be witnessing a new chapter of an old struggle.
The difficulty is that political factions rarely remain confined to the individuals at their centre. They spread through appointments, campaign teams, regional tours and the distribution of political opportunities.
Before long, a disagreement between two influential figures can become a loyalty test for dozens of others.
The danger is that party members may begin to assess every decision not on its merits, but on which camp benefits from it.
When this happens, the party’s regional office risks becoming a battlefield of competing interests rather than a command centre for collective political strategy.
The running-mate question: A prize too powerful to ignore?
Beyond the immediate contest for regional influence lies a bigger political calculation: who will emerge as Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s running mate for the 2028 presidential election?
The question has become an important part of the wider conversation about the NPP’s future leadership configuration, and the Ashanti Region’s political weight makes it a natural arena for competing ambitions and lobbying.
The interests of Dr. Ayew Afriyie and Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh are being discussed against this broader backdrop, although the precise nature of their respective ambitions and the extent of their involvement in any running-mate lobbying remain matters requiring further evidence.
For some party observers, the contest illustrates a familiar problem in Ghanaian politics: the struggle to secure influence over a future presidential ticket can begin long before the party has resolved the organisational problems directly in front of it.
There is nothing inherently improper about political figures expressing preferences or lobbying for candidates. The problem arises when the pursuit of individual ambitions weakens the structures that must eventually mobilise support for the party’s chosen ticket.
A running mate is selected to complement a presidential candidate and strengthen the party’s national appeal. The position should not become a prize whose pursuit leaves a critical regional organisation divided against itself.
If the NPP’s Ashanti machinery becomes consumed by competing calculations over the future presidential ticket, the party could find itself preparing for an election with less unity than the task demands.
National elections, regional consequences
The reported tensions have also acquired a national dimension following the NPP’s recent national executive elections.
According to allegations attributed to Mavis Hawa Koomson’s aide, Moro Kabore, the Ashanti Regional Chairman was accused of working against her electoral bid. The campaign of John Boadu, whose activities in the region were reportedly supported by the Wontumi and Ayew Afriyie camp, has also become part of the discussion surrounding the regional political alignments.
These claims require independent verification and responses from the individuals concerned.
However, the resulting political perceptions are significant. Where regional and national leaders are believed to have competing loyalties, even routine party activities can become interpreted as evidence of a larger struggle for control.
John Boadu’s subsequent engagements with figures associated with the Ayew Afriyie camp, rather than a closer working relationship with the regional chairman, have been interpreted by some observers as a sign of the deepening divisions. That interpretation, however, should not be mistaken for proof of his motives or the existence of a formal alliance.
The larger question is whether national leadership contests are being allowed to deepen regional divisions at a time when the party needs to rebuild confidence, strengthen its structures and prepare for a difficult electoral battle.
Political disagreements are normal in a democratic party. The inability to manage them constructively is what turns competition into a crisis.
Bawumia’s leadership test
For Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the challenge goes beyond choosing a running mate.
As the party’s presidential flagbearer, he faces the broader task of helping create an environment in which competing interests can coexist without paralysing the party’s organisation.
Some members of the COKA camp have reportedly been concerned about attempts to portray the regional chairman as unreliable because of his perceived position during the presidential primaries. The Wontumi camp’s support for Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu’s challenge to COKA in the regional chairmanship contest has also been cited as part of the history of the strained relations.
These accounts point to the persistence of disagreements dating back to earlier internal contests.
But leadership cannot be measured solely by the ability to win a presidential primary or select a running mate. It must also be demonstrated through the ability to reconcile people who supported different candidates, restore trust among elected officials and prevent internal disputes from damaging the party’s wider objectives.
Dr. Bawumia may therefore need to treat the Ashanti situation as an organisational concern rather than a contest that will resolve itself once the running-mate question is settled.
A leadership intervention could include structured engagement with the regional chairman, former regional executives, elected officers, constituency representatives and the various interest groups.
Such engagement would need to focus on specific grievances, the responsibilities of elected and appointed officers, and clear rules governing participation in regional party activities.
Most importantly, the process must avoid creating the impression that reconciliation means rewarding one camp at the expense of another.
A divided party cannot be repaired by simply changing which faction occupies the commanding heights.
‘Our party is gradually becoming weak’
A member of the Ashanti Regional Executive, who spoke to Kumasi Mail on condition of anonymity, expressed concern about the consequences of the divisions.
“Our party is gradually becoming weak due to the divisions in the party. Dr. Bawumia should show leadership and address these issues as soon as possible, else there will be trouble in our party,” the source said.
The source argued that COKA’s election as regional chairman should be respected and that the regional leadership must be allowed to exercise its mandate without competing structures undermining its authority.
“COKA is elected Ashanti regional chairman; therefore, I don’t expect him to allow any group of people to run another party structure outside what has been entrusted in his care to lead in the region,” the source added.
The executive member further claimed that the interests of influential personalities were contributing to the party’s difficulties and appealed for an early resolution.
The comments reflect the concerns of one party source and do not, on their own, establish the extent of the divisions or the responsibility of any individual. Nonetheless, they highlight a fear that internal rivalries could weaken the organisation before the next general election.
The source’s plea for the prompt announcement of a running mate reflects one view within the party that settling the question could help reduce speculation. Yet a decision on the presidential ticket alone may not resolve disagreements over regional authority, appointments and the treatment of elected executives.
The roots of the problem appear broader than a single political appointment.
A fortress can fall from within
The NPP’s electoral fortunes in the Ashanti Region have historically made it a vital part of the party’s national strategy. That importance, however, also makes internal stability especially consequential.
A party may have committed supporters, experienced campaigners and a strong electoral tradition, but these advantages cannot automatically compensate for mistrust among its leaders.
The 2028 election will demand more than the ability to mobilise supporters during campaign season. It will require a functioning regional organisation, active constituency structures, motivated grassroots officers and a leadership capable of turning internal competition into collective purpose.
If party members spend more time fighting for influence than preparing for the electorate, the party risks confusing the possession of power with the effective exercise of leadership.
The Ashanti situation also presents a wider lesson for political organisations: internal democracy does not end when ballots are counted. It must continue through respect for elected officials, fair treatment of members and the willingness to work with people who supported different candidates.
The party’s leaders must also recognise that an internal opponent is not necessarily an enemy, just as loyalty to a particular personality should not become the sole measure of a member’s commitment to the party.
The choice before the NPP
The NPP’s Ashanti leadership now faces a choice between allowing competing camps to deepen their differences or creating a credible process for reconciliation.
The first path could entrench suspicion, weaken regional coordination and leave ordinary members caught between powerful personalities. The second would require compromise, accountability and a willingness to put institutional interests ahead of personal calculations.
No political party can eliminate disagreement. What distinguishes a resilient organisation is its ability to manage disagreement without destroying the relationships on which its future depends.
For Dr. Bawumia, COKA, Chairman Wontumi, Dr. Ayew Afriyie and Dr. Opoku Prempeh, the challenge is to demonstrate that the NPP is bigger than any individual or faction.
The proverbial house cannot remain standing if its builders are busy pulling down one another’s walls.
And while a political time bomb may not explode simply because tensions exist, ignoring warning signs can make an eventual rupture more difficult to contain.
For now, the critical question is not which camp will emerge victorious in the struggle for influence. It is whether the NPP can preserve its unity long enough to make its political strength count when Ghanaians return to the polls in 2028.
The clock is ticking, and the Ashanti Region cannot afford to become a fortress whose greatest threat comes from within.
Source: Isaac Justice Bediako Broadcast Journalist EIB-Network- Kumasi
