The New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ashanti Regional executive elections will reach a dramatic climax this Saturday as 1,020 delegates prepare to decide who will take charge of the party’s affairs for the next four years—and, more importantly, who has the political strength to lead the region’s charge for a return to power in 2028.

The delegates are choosing a leadership team that will be expected to rebuild the party’s grassroots structures, restore unity, energise supporters and turn the Ashanti Region once again into a formidable electoral machine.

At the centre of the contest is the Regional Chairmanship race, which has developed into a straight fight between two heavyweight party figures: Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, and Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, former Member of Parliament for Bantama and former Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Both men bring formidable political credentials to the contest, but their strengths are markedly different.

COKA vs KOKOFU: A Battle of Political Strength

COKA is no stranger to the Ashanti chairmanship battlefield.
The former Afigya Kwabre South Constituency Chairman has deep grassroots experience and has spent years building relationships within the party’s constituency structures. His previous regional chairmanship contest in 2022 demonstrated his ability to mount a serious challenge, when he polled 306 votes against Bernard Antwi Boasiako’s 464.

A section of aspirants

Dr Kokofu, meanwhile, enters the race with a different but equally significant political profile.
A former Bantama MP and former EPA Chief Executive, he brings parliamentary, governmental and administrative experience to the contest. His campaign is therefore likely to appeal to delegates seeking a chairman they believe can combine political organisation with institutional experience and provide strategic leadership as the party prepares for 2028.

The result could ultimately come down to one crucial question:
Which candidate can convince the largest number of constituency delegates that he has the strength, network, experience and temperament to rebuild the Ashanti NPP and lead it back to power?

The Organiser Race: Another Battle to Watch

Away from the chairmanship, the Regional Organiser position is expected to attract considerable attention because the office sits at the heart of the party’s grassroots mobilisation machinery.
Three candidates are contesting the portfolio, including Denis Kwakwa, Patrick Sarfo Raphael and DKM.

The significance of this race cannot be underestimated.
The next Regional Organiser will be expected to translate the party’s political strategy into action across 47 constituencies, coordinate grassroots mobilisation and help rebuild the structures needed for the 2028 campaign.

The position also requires someone capable of working closely with constituency organisers and executives while maintaining discipline, communication and political momentum across the region.
With the NPP needing to rebuild after its 2024 electoral setback, the Organiser who emerges on Saturday could become one of the most important players in the party’s four-year recovery project.

Secretary Race: The Administrative Engine Room

The Regional Secretary contest is another keenly contested position with much significant interest.

Among the prominent contenders is Amoah Awuku, a former DCE for Atwima Nwabiagya South, Dr Francis Adomako, the incumbent Ashanti Regional Organiser.

Another notable contender is Paul Kwabena Yandoh, the Ashanti Regional Communications Director, who is also seeking the Secretary position. Yandoh has been campaigning on his experience within the regional structure and is banking on his “loyalty’ to the service of the party on Saturday.

The Secretary will have the critical responsibility of ensuring that decisions of the regional executive are properly coordinated, documented and implemented while serving as a key link between the regional leadership and the wider party structure.
1,020 Delegates, One Mandate.

The estimated electoral college is made up of:
883 Constituency Executives
39 Members of Parliament
5 Founding Fathers
5 National Council Members
10 Patrons
10 Elders
17 Regional Executives
51 TESCON representatives, making a total of 1,020 expected delegates.

The numbers make one thing clear: the constituency executives will be central to determining the direction of the Ashanti NPP.
And with the chairmanship reduced to a two-horse contest, every bloc of delegates could prove decisive.

The Bigger Prize: 2028
But Saturday’s election is about much more than who wins a party position.
The new executives will inherit a huge responsibility: return the NPP to political power in 2028.
For the Regional Chairman, that responsibility will be even greater.
He must be strong enough to unite competing factions, experienced enough to manage the party’s internal dynamics, influential enough to mobilise the grassroots and disciplined enough to build a team capable of working towards one objective.

The chairmanship race between COKA and Kokofu is therefore not simply a contest between two personalities.
It is a contest between two political profiles—and a referendum by 1,020 delegates on who they believe has the strength to lead the Ashanti NPP into its next political battle.
When the ballots are counted, one man will emerge.
But the real winner, the party faithful insist, must ultimately be the NPP’s 2028 comeback project.Source:By:Gabriel Amoah