By Grace Zigah
A fresh controversy has erupted within the United States Branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP-USA) after five aspiring executives were disqualified from contesting the branch’s upcoming internal elections, a move that has triggered accusations of bias, political manipulation and calls for intervention by the party’s national leadership in Ghana.
The dispute threatens to cast a shadow over the NPP’s ongoing internal reorganization exercise, which forms part of the party’s broader efforts to rebuild its structures following its defeat in the 2024 general elections.
Across Ghana and its external branches, the party has been conducting elections from the polling station level through constituency and regional structures ahead of the National Delegates Conference scheduled for September 2026.
At the centre of the latest controversy are five prominent NPP-USA executives and aspirants who were seeking various leadership positions within the branch.
They are Elijah Amanor Ametei, who was contesting for Branch Secretary; Nana Akua Musah, aspiring for Branch Youth Organizer; Ali Inusah Adams, contesting for Branch Nasara Coordinator; Atta Johnson, seeking election as Second Vice Chairman; and Stephen Adjei, who was vying for the position of Branch Treasurer.
According to sources close to the affected aspirants, the NPP-USA Election Committee disqualified all five candidates on the grounds that they had allegedly failed to pay their membership dues, making them ineligible to contest under the party’s regulations.
The affected aspirants, however, have strongly rejected the committee’s decision, insisting that the justification for their disqualification is inaccurate.
They contend that they paid their membership dues within the stipulated period and have documentary evidence, including payment receipts, to support their claims.
According to the aggrieved candidates, the receipts and other supporting documents were presented to the Election Committee in an effort to reverse the decision.
They claim that despite producing what they describe as verifiable proof of payment, the committee declined to reconsider its ruling and maintained the disqualifications.
The decision has generated discontent among sections of the NPP-USA membership, with supporters of the disqualified aspirants alleging that the action goes beyond an administrative dispute over membership dues.
Some party members have accused the Election Committee of orchestrating a deliberate strategy to eliminate strong contenders from the race in order to allow candidates aligned with a particular faction to secure victory without facing competition.
Supporters of the affected aspirants specifically allege that the disqualifications are intended to benefit candidates associated with the camp of Obaa Yaa Frimpong, although no evidence has been publicly presented to substantiate the allegation, and there has been no public response from her or her team to the claims.
One party member, speaking anonymously, alleged that the issue was “not about dues” but rather a calculated attempt to disenfranchise popular candidates and influence the outcome of the elections in favour of a preferred group.
The allegations have heightened tensions within the branch, with concerns being raised that the dispute could undermine confidence in the credibility and transparency of the electoral process if left unresolved.
The aggrieved aspirants and their supporters are now appealing to the NPP’s national leadership in Ghana to intervene.
They have called on the National Steering Committee, the National Executive Committee (NEC) and the National Council to review the evidence relating to the payment of membership dues and reconsider the Election Committee’s decision.
According to party insiders, failure to address the matter promptly could deepen divisions within the NPP-USA branch and negatively affect party unity and mobilization efforts among members in the Ghanaian diaspora ahead of future elections.
As of the time of filing this report, the NPP-USA Election Committee had not publicly responded to the allegations beyond citing non-payment of membership dues as the basis for the disqualifications, while the party’s national leadership in Ghana had yet to comment on the matter.
