By Daniel Bampoe
With just a day to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) critical Extraordinary National Delegates’ Conference scheduled for July 18–20, 2025, the party is staring at its most intense internal rebellion in recent years.
A controversial plan to reverse the party’s traditional electoral calendar—by electing a flagbearer before choosing its grassroots and national executives—has triggered outrage from senior members, grassroots delegates, and now, a legal battle.
Legal Bombshell
The latest twist came on Thursday, July 17, just when two registered party members, Shamsudeen Iddrisu and Kwadwo Boateng, filed an interlocutory injunction at the High Court in Accra seeking to halt the impending National Delegates’ Conference slated at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium.
The plaintiffs argue that the party has violated its constitution by bypassing key procedural steps required before convening a national conference.
According to their sworn affidavits, the NPP Constitution mandates that Constituency Annual Delegates Conferences be held at least four weeks before the Regional Conferences, which in turn must precede the National Annual Delegates’ Conference by another four weeks. These steps, the plaintiffs claim, have been ignored.
Kwadwo Boateng, a member from the Bantama Constituency in the Ashanti Region, attached a copy of his party membership card and segments of the party’s constitution to bolster the claim.
He insists the leadership’s failure to follow due process amounts to a breach of internal democracy and undermines the legitimacy of decisions expected to be made at the conference.
“The actions, conduct, structure, organisation, procedures and activities of the NPP are all governed by its Constitution,” Boateng stated.
“This upcoming conference has failed to adhere to the clear legal framework outlined in that document.”
The planned July 18–20 conference—intended to fast-track major constitutional changes including an early flagbearer election for 2028—now faces a court challenge that underscores widening rifts between the grassroots, senior party stalwarts, and the current leadership.
Denial by Plaintiff Sparks Further Confusion
In a stunning twist, one of the named plaintiffs, Shamsudeen Iddrisu from the Walewale Constituency, publicly disassociated himself from the suit, denying authorizing any legal action.
“I entreat the public to disregard the writ as I have not instructed any lawyer to do so on my behalf,” Iddrisu stated in a released statement.
“As a committed member of the NPP, I have absolute respect for the decisions of the National Council and would not use the courts to undermine such decisions.”
His disavowal has raised serious questions about the authenticity of the legal process and whether certain factions within the party might have acted without full consent to stop the conference.
The center of the storm is the National Council’s June 17 resolution to elect the party’s 2028 flagbearer by January 31, 2026—long before internal elections at the constituency, regional, and national levels.
This breaks with the NPP’s longstanding tradition of building from the grassroots up.
While General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong has framed the change as a strategic move to better prepare for 2028, critics say it is a top-down imposition that disregards the party’s founding principles.
The proposed amendments to the constitution—which the Extraordinary Delegates’ Conference is expected to ratify—would formalize this new order.
But with the injunction looming, that plan may now be delayed or derailed altogether.
Party Veterans and Aspirants Lead Vocal Rebellion
The backlash has been fierce. Former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko, MP for Okaikwei Central Patrick Yaw Boamah, and former Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong have all issued harsh rebukes, warning that abandoning grassroots structures in favour of elite control would lead the NPP into electoral challenge.
Kennedy Agyapong delivered a particularly scathing critique during the June 21 National Constituency Chairmen Conference, saying:
“If we don’t fix grassroots issues, even Jesus Christ won’t win us the 2028 elections.”
Kufuor’s Absence Fuels Suspicion of Broader Discontent
Adding to the political drama, former President John Agyekum Kufuor allegedly requested that the event be postponed to accommodate his travel plans—requesting a late August date instead. His request was denied, with party officials citing logistical commitments involving over 6,000 delegates.
Although party communicators have tried to downplay his absence, many insiders see Kufuor’s distance from recent meetings as symbolic of a deeper fracture between the party’s founding figures and the current leadership.
Internal Party Counterarguments
Proponents of the conference, including party communicator Charles Opoku Presidoo, have pushed back against the injunction, citing Article 10(2)(8) of the NPP Constitution.
“An Extraordinary National Annual Delegates’ Conference can take place before or after either or both Constituency Annual and Regional Conferences,” he argued.
Presidoo also dismissed the claim that the conference lacks the authority to amend the constitution, arguing that all original functions of a National Delegates Conference, including amendments, can be performed at an extraordinary session.
“The assumption that the Extraordinary Conference has no power to amend the constitution is not grounded in any provision,” he said.
