A deepening internal crisis is threatening the stability of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Weija-Gbawe Constituency, as aggrieved grassroots members accuse party executives of electoral manipulation, intimidation, and constitutional breaches ahead of the party’s polling station elections scheduled for May 15 and 16, 2026.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 13, former Constituency Communication Officer, Bishop T.D., called for the immediate intervention of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), warning that the alleged irregularities could cost the NPP one of its long-held strongholds in the 2028 general elections.
According to the statement, the Polling Station Election Committee in the constituency was “structurally compromised from its inception,” with its composition allegedly violating NEC guidelines.
The statement claimed that despite petitions sent to constituency, regional, and national executives highlighting the concerns, no corrective action had been taken.
The group further accused party officials of weaponising the vetting process to sideline perceived opponents.
Among the allegations were claims that application forms belonging to some popular grassroots aspirants aligned with former Member of Parliament, Tina Gifty Naa Ayeley Mensah, were deliberately destroyed or omitted from the official register.
The statement also alleged that after nominations officially closed on May 7, the committee secretly reopened the process on May 8 to allow preferred candidates linked to the sitting MP, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, to file nominations.
Constituency Chairman Michael Danquah and Constituency Secretary Emmanuel Ofori Akoto, popularly known as Emmanuel Akurugu Atia, were also accused of threatening party members with removal from the voting album during electoral area meetings.
The controversy intensified after the committee reportedly issued a Notice of Poll late on May 12 for elections expected to begin within days.
According to the petitioners, elections are being conducted in only 48 out of the constituency’s 238 polling stations, while some applicants have allegedly been moved into positions they never applied for in what they describe as an attempt to engineer defeats for targeted incumbents.
The statement argued that these actions violate Paragraph 13 of the NEC guidelines, which requires transparent publication of outcomes for all polling stations, whether through ballot, headcount, or acclamation.
The group also accused Regional Representative Hon. Ambrose Tsegah of abandoning neutrality and allegedly working in favour of the sitting MP.
Beyond the internal disputes, the petitioners warned of serious electoral consequences for the NPP in the constituency if the issues remain unresolved.
They pointed to what they described as a worrying decline in the party’s electoral performance over the years.
According to the figures provided, the NPP maintained comfortable presidential and parliamentary margins in 2016 and 2020, but suffered a major setback in the 2024 elections when the party lost the presidential vote in the constituency to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by 4,497 votes, while its parliamentary victory margin reportedly shrank to just 2,148 votes.
The aggrieved members warned that growing dissatisfaction within the constituency could push many supporters toward “The Base,” a rising political movement they claim is attracting disillusioned party faithful.
They are therefore demanding the immediate suspension of the polling station elections, dissolution of the current election committee, and a full audit of the constituency’s polling station album to restore confidence in the process.
The NPP leadership in the constituency has yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
By 1960news.com
