BY Grace Zigah
Newly elected New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, has begun his post-election reconciliation drive with a visit to his main contender in the August 15 regional executive election, Henry Kwabena Kokofu, at Ayigya in Kumasi.
The meeting, held on Sunday, August 16, 2026, came barely a day after the two men faced each other in a closely watched contest for control of the NPP’s Ashanti Regional structure.
COKA emerged victorious with 658 votes, while Kokofu obtained 269 votes.
The outcome gave COKA a decisive mandate to lead the party in the region and placed him at the centre of the NPP’s efforts to reorganise its grassroots structures ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Rather than allowing the contest to create lasting divisions, COKA made his first major post-election engagement a meeting with his principal opponent, signalling an intention to bring the competing factions together and begin the process of reconciliation.
COKA calls for forgiveness and unity
During the meeting, COKA called on party members to put the internal contest behind them and forgive one another for past disagreements.
He said the priority must now be to unite the party and rebuild its organisational structures, arguing that internal cohesion would be essential if the NPP is to regain political power in 2028.
COKA also assured Kokofu and his supporters that they would not be excluded from his administration.
He stressed that “nobody will be left behind”, indicating that the experience, ideas and capabilities of his former contenders would be required in the task of rebuilding the party.
For the newly elected chairman, the election was therefore not an end in itself but the beginning of a broader assignment to restore unity and strengthen the party’s presence at the grassroots.
Kokofu pledges support
Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu welcomed the visit and congratulated COKA on his victory.
He described the decision by the newly elected chairman to visit him as an appropriate step towards reconciliation and said he was prepared to support COKA’s leadership.
Kokofu’s response effectively shifted the focus from the competition that characterised the election to the collective responsibility of rebuilding the NPP.
His pledge of support is significant because the former Bantama MP and former Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attracted substantial support during the chairmanship contest.
The meeting therefore provided an opportunity for both camps to publicly demonstrate that the conclusion of the election would not prevent them from working together.
From competition to rebuilding
The reconciliation meeting comes at a critical time for the NPP, which is undertaking an internal reorganisation following its defeat in the 2024 general elections.
The party is seeking to strengthen its grassroots structures, improve internal cohesion and regain support ahead of the next presidential and parliamentary elections.
The Ashanti Region is particularly important to that strategy because of its longstanding significance to the NPP’s electoral fortunes.
COKA’s overwhelming victory consequently gives him considerable responsibility to lead the regional party structure, while his immediate outreach to Kokofu could help reduce tensions generated during the campaign.
The new chairman has also pledged to lead with humility, discipline and dedication, with the ultimate objective of helping the NPP regain power in 2028.
He has framed the task as a collective effort, stressing that the party’s desire to return to government cannot be achieved if its members remain divided.
A new beginning for Ashanti NPP
The COKA-Kokofu meeting has consequently emerged as one of the first visible signs of reconciliation following the Ashanti regional elections.
