The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed reports suggesting that it is considering changes to the leadership of its Minority Caucus in Parliament, insisting that no discussions have been held on replacing the current leadership.
The party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said the NPP remains satisfied with the performance of the parliamentary leadership under Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin and would continue to support the caucus in discharging its responsibilities.
Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Thursday, October 29, Mr Kodua Frimpong described the reports as unfounded and cautioned against attempts to create divisions within the party.
“Let me state it categorically. The party has never had any meeting. The party has never thought about even deliberating to change the leadership in Parliament. We have not,” he stated.
He urged party members to disregard the claims, arguing that they could create unnecessary confusion among the NPP’s parliamentary leadership and the Minority Caucus.
Mr Kodua Frimpong stressed that the party’s elected officers, led by National Chairman John Boadu, are satisfied with Mr Afenyo-Markin’s leadership and remains committed to providing the caucus with the necessary support.
“The leadership of our party, especially with the elected officers chaired by Chairman John Boadu, are very, very happy. We are overwhelmingly satisfied with the work being done by the leadership in Parliament led by Osanhe Afenyo-Markin, and we shall continue to give them that support,” he said.
He reiterated that the NPP has no plans to undertake a leadership reshuffle in Parliament and called on members to focus on strengthening the party ahead of the 2028 general elections.
“There is no meeting, there is no attempt to change the leadership in Parliament,” he emphasised.
The NPP General Secretary also rejected allegations that the party intend to impose parliamentary candidates on constituencies ahead of the 2028 general elections.
He explained that the party’s decision to open its portal for prospective parliamentary aspirants to declare their interest should not be interpreted as an attempt to influence the selection process in favour of particular individuals.
Mr Kodua Frimpong maintained that the party had neither held discussions nor taken any decision to impose candidates in any region or constituency.
He said the declaration-of-interest process is intended to allow prospective aspirants to formally indicate their intention to contest the party’s parliamentary primaries.
“What I said has to do with the party opening the portal for people to declare their interests. So please, I’m not talking about any candidate search issue here,” he clarified.
The party is scheduled to receive declarations of interest from prospective parliamentary aspirants between November 1 and November 10, 2026, as part of preparations to select candidates for the 2028 elections.
Mr Kodua Frimpong further addressed concerns about the eligibility of prospective parliamentary candidates, stating that aspirants must satisfy the relevant provisions of the NPP Constitution and Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
He explained that although the party’s internal constitution provides for certain exceptions regarding its own qualification requirements, these cannot override the constitutional requirements for becoming a Member of Parliament.
Citing Article 94 of the 1992 Constitution, he stressed that individuals who do not meet the applicable legal requirements cannot qualify for election to Parliament.
“If you don’t meet that criteria, then certainly you cannot become a parliamentary aspirant or you cannot qualify to become a Member of Parliament. So those ones, there are no exceptions to it,” he said.
His comments underscore the party’s position that its parliamentary candidate selection process must comply with both its internal rules and the relevant constitutional provisions governing eligibility for Parliament.
The General Secretary also cautioned party members seeking to become the running mate to the NPP’s flagbearer against using social media campaigns to promote their ambitions.
He referred to Article 13 of the party’s Constitution, which he said outlines the procedure for selecting a running mate, stressing that the process must follow the party’s established constitutional arrangements rather than public campaigns.
According to Mr Kodua Frimpong, the flagbearer is required to nominate a running mate in consultation with the National Council.
He maintained that the party had not invited prospective candidates to campaign for the position and urged interested individuals to understand the appropriate channels through which the decision would be made.
“If you have any interest that one day you can become a running mate, at least the constitution is clear. You must know the kind of people you have to talk to. It’s not a social media campaign,” he stated.
He added that the party is not currently focused on selecting a running mate, as its immediate priority is to ensure a successful parliamentary candidate selection process.
“The focus of the New Patriotic Party now is to make sure that we go through a successful parliamentary selection process. That is our focus. We are not focusing on running mates even at this material moment,” he said.
Mr Kodua Frimpong urged party members to avoid speculation and actions that could create internal divisions, insisting that the NPP remained focused on its preparations for the 2028 general elections.
By 1960news.com
