BY GRACE ZIGAH
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced measures to take direct control of the accommodation and feeding of delegates ahead of its October 3, 2026 national executive elections, in a move the party says is intended to prevent aspirants from “camping” delegates before voting day.
Chairperson of the NPP Organisation Committee, Anthony Karbo, said the arrangements are designed to limit the ability of individual candidates to house groups of delegates at locations of their choice and thereby create a more controlled environment ahead of the internal polls.
Speaking to Citi News’ ahead of the elections, Karbo explained that the party would assume responsibility for the key logistical needs of delegates arriving in Kumasi.
“I think it will be extremely difficult for anybody to camp delegates because we are taking full control of the accommodation and feeding,” he said.
The announcement comes as the NPP enters the final phase of preparations for its National Annual Delegates Conference and the election of its national officers at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
The party has scheduled the conference and elections for Saturday, October 3, 2026, with delegates expected to arrive in Kumasi on the evening of Friday, October 2, before proceeding to accommodation facilities assigned to them. The National Officers Elections Committee (NOEC) has said the conference will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Election Day.
Centralised accommodation to limit delegate camping
Karbo said most of the accommodation arrangements have been secured at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where delegates will be housed under arrangements coordinated by the party.
While aspirants will still be permitted to interact with delegates at their hostels, the centralised system is intended to prevent candidates from taking groups of delegates to privately selected accommodation facilities and keeping them together as part of their campaign activities.
The arrangement represents one of the logistical measures being introduced as the party seeks to manage the movement of delegates between their arrival in Kumasi and the commencement of voting.
According to Karbo, the objective is not to prevent aspirants from engaging delegates but to ensure that accommodation and feeding remain under the control of the election organisers rather than individual candidates.
Feeding and security also under central arrangements
The accommodation arrangement forms part of a wider logistical plan covering feeding, security, media operations and traffic management for the conference.
The party’s election authorities have separately indicated that they are working with the Electoral Commission of Ghana and the Ghana Police Service on arrangements intended to ensure an orderly, secure and transparent election.
The Electoral Commission is expected to conduct the elections under the supervision of NOEC and in accordance with the rules and guidelines established for the exercise.
NOEC Chairman Frederick Opare-Ansah has said the committee remains committed to providing what it describes as a “fair, transparent, orderly and credible” process for the aspirants and delegates.
Party preparing to elect new national leadership
The October elections follow the NPP’s decision to elect its national officers as part of its internal reorganisation ahead of the 2028 general elections.
The positions being contested include National Chairperson, three National Vice-Chairpersons, General Secretary, National Treasurer, National Organiser, National Women’s Organiser, National Youth Organiser, National Nasara Organiser and National Communications Director. The party initially cleared 47 aspirants following its vetting exercise.
The electoral college includes members of the party’s national, regional, constituency and external branch structures, alongside other specified categories of delegates under the party’s constitution and electoral arrangements.
The elections therefore involve a large and diverse group of party delegates whose movement and accommodation must be coordinated before voting begins.
