By Daniel Bampoe
Former Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko has formally entered the final stretch of his campaign for the National Chairmanship of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), declaring that his primary objective is to help the party’s flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, win the 2028 presidential election.
Agyarko filed his nomination at the NPP National Headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, amid a large gathering of party supporters and delegates from across the country.
His nomination forms were purchased and presented to him by more than 50 NPP Constituency Chairpersons, an action he interpreted as a strong grassroots demand for him to take responsibility for rebuilding the party.
Addressing more than 600 delegates and about 2,000 party supporters reportedly drawn from all 16 regions, Agyarko said the decision by the constituency chairpersons to personally fund and present his nomination forms was more than an endorsement.
He described it as an “instruction from the grassroots” for him to lead the NPP’s restoration.
A party in electoral decline
Agyarko used the occasion to give a frank assessment of the NPP’s electoral fortunes, pointing to the party’s decline in parliamentary representation over the past three general elections.
He noted that the NPP won 169 parliamentary seats in 2016, dropped to 137 in 2020, and currently holds 88 seats following the 2024 elections.
He also cited Electoral Commission figures indicating that the party lost more than two million presidential votes between 2020 and 2024.
The former minister did not attempt to minimise the challenges confronting the NPP.
Behind the figures, he said, were traders, teachers, farmers, drivers and young graduates who had previously supported the NPP but did not turn out for the party in the same numbers.
Boakye Agyarko’s interpretation was that many of those voters had not necessarily abandoned Ghana or the party’s political tradition, but had become disconnected from an organisation they no longer felt belonged to them.
He described the NPP as a “wounded elephant”, but insisted that the party’s core tradition and ideas remained intact.
For Agyarko, the figures demonstrate the scale of the rebuilding exercise facing the NPP and the urgency of reconnecting with supporters who have become disengaged from the party.
He has consequently positioned his campaign around the restoration of the party’s organisational strength, accountability and grassroots confidence.
Agyarko sells experience as qualification
In making his case for the chairmanship, Agyarko highlighted his professional and political experience.
He cited 22 years of institutional leadership at the Bank of New York, where he rose to the position of Vice President.
His political background includes serving as Chairman of the Danquah-Busia Club of North America, Chairman of the NPP’s North America branch, the party’s 2012 Campaign Manager, and later as Minister for Energy.
Agyarko said these experiences had prepared him to serve as an impartial chairman who would act as a referee rather than a participant in the party’s internal contests.
He stressed that he was seeking the position as a “job, not a career,” arguing that he has no further political ambition beyond the assignment.
Five-point rebuilding agenda
Agyarko outlined five principal commitments if elected National Chairman.
First, he pledged to build a credible and verifiable membership register within one year, in preparation for the transition to a One Member, One Vote system.
Second, he promised greater financial accountability, including the presentation of the party’s audited accounts annually.
Third, he pledged to personally reach out to members who have become disillusioned with the party as part of a reconciliation drive.
His fourth commitment is to improve the party’s operational structures, infrastructure and resources, while the fifth focuses on members’ welfare, particularly supporting members during periods of difficulty.
Total loyalty to Bawumia
Agyarko also made clear that his chairmanship would be closely aligned with the NPP’s presidential campaign.
He pledged total loyalty to Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, while promising to remain neutral in the contests for the other national executive positions.
His ultimate objective, he said, is “Operation One Touch” — securing a simultaneous victory for Bawumia in the presidential election and restoring a decisive NPP majority in Parliament.
“Elect me as your National Chairman to make Dr Bawumia the President in 2028, and Insha Allah, the NPP shall rise again,” Agyarko declared.
His nomination now places him formally among the contenders for the NPP National Chairmanship as the party prepares to elect its national officers on October 3, 2026.
