A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)and former Afigya Kwabre South Constituency Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah has urged the leadership of the NPP to prioritize unity and uphold the NPP’s constitution as the party reorganizes following its defeat in the 2024 elections.
Chairman COKA as he is affectionately called made the remarks delivering a key note address at a conference of National Chairmen of the New Patriotic Party held at the Longford Royal Center in Kumasi, to strategize for the future.
The event, themed “Building Momentum: The Role of NPP Constituency Chairmen in Uplifting the Party Towards 2028 and Beyond,” brought together party leaders from across the country including the former vice president and 2024 flagbearer of the NPP Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and flagbearer hopeful Kenedy Agyeapong.
Chairman Coka who has been passionate about building bridges and forging a cordial front for the party’s rebound pointed out that the true test of the party lays in its ability to hold itself together in the midst of internal differences and conflicting interests.
Re-echoing the overarching relevance of synergy, he insisted, “We have a great party to: Protect; Promote; Rebuild; Reorganize; And maintain its integrity.
He contended that instead of holding on to egos, fueling unhealthy factionalism and engaging in conducts that retard rather than build the party; the regional chairman and party executives should direct their energies towards galvanizing the party towards its cardinal goal of recapturing power in 2028.
Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah however gave a caution that the NPP would only achieve this if the party brings everybody on board and allows party structures and principles to work seamlessly.
“If we want to come to power in 2028, we must respect and work with everybody. My dear brothers and sisters let’s put down all our differences, let’s put all the bitterness behind us, let’s put down all the anger and come together as one.
“We can never be the same, I may be a Muslim and you may be a Christian, I may be poor and you may rich but all don’t matter, deep down we all love our party, hoping and praying that we come back to power in 2028,” he appealed.
Encouraging the party not to lose hope in its trying times, Chairman Coka insisted that the party’s inability to clutch victory in the 2024 presidential elections should serve as a moment to reflect and learn valuable lessons for its forward match.
“We have not been defeated; it’s just an experience to improve our wisdom and open our eyes. The fight is not with ourselves, so we shall move forward with God’s direction towards the time when we grow in love and integrity to rebuild and strategize for the future,” he noted.
Mr. Kwaku Appiah additionally called for executives of the party to recognize their key roles in ensuring good party governance, resolving conflicts, upholding the party’s constitution and building the trust of the grassroots in the party’s vision.
“We must guide the executives in developing and implementing the party’s strategy; ensuring people are in line with the party goals and objectives to win the 2028 elections.
“We must also ensure that the executive makes informed decisions, based on right and timely information, communicate effectively with the voters, and represent the party’s interests,” Coka Charged the Regional Chairmen.
Chairman Kwaku Odeneho Appiah further charged all regional chairmen of the New Patriotic Party to think outside the box, come up with innovative strategies and portray exemplary virtues of integrity insisting it is the only path to making the party attractive at the regional levels.
Proposals for Choosing Executives.
In his concluding comments, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah proposed to the party to demand that candidates who vied for executive positions come to the race having served in lower ranks of the party arguing that institutional knowledge and experience will be brought to key positions of the party if his suggestion is considered.
“I will conclude by saying, in Rebuilding our party, one area we need to take a serious look at is the qualification to become a constituency, regional, or national officer. One should have been a polling station executive or electoral area coordinator before contesting for a constituency officer position. Also, one should have been a constituency officer before being qualified to contest for a regional position, and lastly, to contest for a national officer position, one should have been a regional officer or MP,” he explained.
Key Conference Subjects
As the NPP looks ahead to the 2028 elections, Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah’s message serves as a rallying call for unity, adherence to the party’s constitution, and a renewed commitment to the party’s core values.
The NPP regional chairmen conference is considering a number of key subjects including Engaging and Mobilizing Constituents; Fostering Unity and Inclusivity; Championing Party Vision and Policies.
It will combine plenary sessions, break out discussions and delivery of addresses with the hope to put together a working document to support the party’s 2028 bid.
A feature that will not be missing from the deliberations will be the party’s decision to hold early presidential primaries in January 2026 ahead of the election of key executives in the party.
Source :www.kumasimail.com /Ivan Heathcote – Fumador
