Financial economist and academic Dr Razak Kojo Opoku has questioned whether delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) should base their choice of the party’s next National Chairman primarily on loyalty to flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Dr Opoku believes the position requires a candidate capable of functioning as an “Abusuapanin” — a senior figure who can provide discipline, guidance and balance within the party.
His comments come ahead of the NPP’s National Delegates Conference scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
About 7,163 delegates from all 16 regions are expected to attend the conference to elect new national executives who will lead the party towards the 2028 general elections.
The delegates are also expected to consider proposed amendments to the party’s constitution.
In his commentary on the National Chairmanship contest, Dr Opoku questioned whether delegates are choosing a chairman based on the individual’s ability to provide effective leadership and institutional balance, or simply on perceived loyalty to Dr Bawumia.
“Are we electing a National Chairman who can do the job as Abusuapanin, with the spirit of discipline needed to help Bawumia and the NPP succeed, or are we electing a National Chairman who supposedly loves Dr. Bawumia but may not be able to function properly as Abusuapanin?” he asked.
Dr Opoku argued that the National Chairman’s primary responsibility should be to the NPP as an institution rather than to the party’s elected flagbearer.
He said the chairman should be able to provide the necessary checks and balances within the party, even while working with the flagbearer to achieve the NPP’s broader objectives.
“An elected National Chairman has the responsibility to be ONLY LOYAL to the Party, not a blind loyalist to the elected Flagbearer. There must be checks and balances,” he stated.
Dr Opoku also drew a distinction between the communication styles of individuals associated with the party’s internal political discourse.
He cited Kwasi Kwarteng, noting that although Kwarteng did not support Dr Bawumia’s previous flagbearer bid, he believes Kwarteng’s current communication approach is helping the NPP attract voters.
“Kwasi Kwarteng did not support Bawumia, but his approach to communication is winning a lot of voters for the NPP,” Dr Opoku wrote.
He contrasted this with what he described as the social media conduct of an individual he referred to as the “Konongo Capo Snoopy.”
Dr Opoku alleged that the individual’s repeated attacks on women on social media are contributing to a negative perception of the NPP among some voters.
He therefore questioned whether strong personal support for Dr Bawumia should, on its own, be regarded as sufficient qualification for the National Chairmanship.
“While the ‘Konongo Capo Snoopy,’ who supposedly loves Dr. Bawumia, has a behaviour of attacking women on social media that is always making the Party unattractive to many discerning voters,” he stated.
The comments come as the NPP prepares to elect a new crop of national executives who will oversee the party’s affairs in the run-up to the 2028 general elections.
The National Chairman will be among the key officers responsible for providing political and organisational leadership, coordinating the party’s structures and helping maintain cohesion across its various levels.
For Dr Opoku, the National Chairmanship contest should therefore be viewed not merely as a contest between individuals or factions, but as a choice about the kind of institutional leadership the NPP requires.
His argument centres on the need for a chairman who can combine loyalty to the party with the independence required to provide internal checks and balances.
The outcome of Saturday’s conference will determine who takes up the National Chairmanship and the other national executive positions as the NPP begins another phase of its preparations for the 2028 elections.
By 1960news.com
