By Issah Olegor
Former NPP First Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe has withdrawn from the contest for the party’s National Chairmanship and declared his support for former General Secretary John Boadu, just as delegates gather in Kumasi to elect new national officers.
The development comes on the day of the New Patriotic Party’s National Delegates Congress at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, where more than 7,000 delegates are expected to participate in the election of the party’s next national leadership. Crabbe was one of four aspirants who had been cleared to contest the National Chairmanship position.
The other candidates were former General Secretary John Boadu, former National Chairman Paul Afoko and former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko. The chairmanship contest had attracted considerable attention as the party seeks to reorganise its structures and prepare for the 2028 general elections.
In announcing his decision to step aside, Crabbe said he had chosen to support John Boadu, ending his own bid for the position and adding his voice to Boadu’s campaign at a critical point in the internal contest.
His decision means the chairmanship race, which had featured four candidates on the final ballot, has effectively been reduced to the remaining contenders as delegates prepare to vote.
Crabbe’s withdrawal also comes against the backdrop of a closely watched chairmanship contest in which different surveys have produced varying measurements of delegate preferences.
A Global InfoAnalytics poll released on September 30 placed John Boadu at 48%, followed by Boakye Agyarko at 38%, Paul Afoko at 12% and Sammy Crabbe at 2%.
Another survey conducted by Professor Smart Sarpong of Kumasi Technical University in collaboration with Feedback Africa also placed Boadu ahead in the chairmanship race. That survey, which covered 5,276 NPP delegates alongside other stakeholders, recorded Boadu at 46.5% among all respondents, with Agyarko on 24.8%, Afoko on 9.1% and Crabbe on 5.5%.
Those surveys, however, were measurements of opinion ahead of the election and did not determine the outcome. The actual result will be decided by accredited delegates casting their ballots at the party’s National Delegates Congress.
Crabbe’s decision therefore adds a new dimension to a contest that has already seen significant movement in the final days of campaigning. His declaration of support for Boadu comes as the party moves from campaigning to voting, with delegates now expected to make their final choices.
John Boadu, a former NPP General Secretary, has presented his chairmanship bid around his organisational experience and knowledge of the party’s structures. He has said his immediate objective is to help rebuild the party following its 2024 electoral defeat and prepare it to compete in 2028.
He has also repeatedly stated that his chairmanship ambition is not a presidential bid but is intended to help Dr Mahamudu Bawumia win the 2028 presidential election.
Boakye Agyarko, meanwhile, has campaigned on a rebuilding and organisational reform agenda, including his proposed V.O.T.E.S. framework, while former Chairman Paul Afoko has positioned his candidacy around reconciliation and bringing together sections of the party.
The withdrawal of Crabbe and his decision to support Boadu therefore comes at the end of a campaign in which the four aspirants sought to convince delegates about their respective visions for the party.
The NPP’s national elections are taking place as part of a broader internal reorganisation following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections. Polling-station, electoral-area, constituency and regional-level elections have already been conducted, paving the way for the national executive elections in Kumasi.
A total of 7,163 delegates are expected to participate in the National Delegates Congress, according to the latest figures reported ahead of the exercise. The conference is also expected to consider proposed amendments to portions of the party’s constitution before delegates proceed to elect the national officers.
The elections cover the National Chairperson, Vice Chairpersons, General Secretary, National Treasurer, National Organiser, National Women’s Organiser, National Youth Organiser, National Nasara Organiser and National Communications Director.
The party has also put in place 31 voting centres at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, with the Electoral Commission supervising the voting process.
The arrangements are intended to enable thousands of delegates to cast their ballots efficiently within the stadium.
