Former Majority Leader and Chief of Staff of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s campaign team, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has cautioned the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to carefully review its constitution, warning that the party’s current leadership structure could become a source of internal conflict if left unchanged.
He said the existing constitutional arrangement, which effectively places the National Chairman at the helm of the party both in government and in opposition, could create divisions where the chairman and the party’s presidential candidate belong to different political camps.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, July 8, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu explained that recent discussions within the party have highlighted the need to clearly define who should be recognised as the leader of the NPP.
“We’ve had situations where the person who became the chairman may not have had the person who eventually became the presidential candidate as his candidate. So if you have such a situation, it’s a recipe for confusion and conflict in the party,” he stated.
According to him, one school of thought within the party believes the presidential candidate should be formally recognised as the party’s leader, while another prefers maintaining the current practice where the position is not explicitly defined in the constitution.
“We leave it as it had been without naming whoever, but the generality of the people recognise that the presidential candidate is effectively the leader of the party de facto. Or do we formalise it? I think the party will have to think through what is the most appropriate,” he said.
The former Suame Member of Parliament noted that the leadership question forms part of several constitutional amendment proposals expected to be considered at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference scheduled for September 19, 2026.
Beyond the leadership debate, Mr. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu disclosed that the proposed amendments also seek to strengthen the role of polling station executives by assigning them greater responsibility for grassroots mobilisation.
Under the proposals, polling station executives would be tasked with promoting the party’s political, economic and social agenda through sustained house-to-house campaigns while registering new members and maintaining accurate membership records.
He said the reforms are intended to strengthen the party’s grassroots structures, improve organisation and position the NPP for future electoral success.
The NPP has invited members and stakeholders to submit proposals for constitutional amendments by July 17, ahead of the September 19 National Delegates Conference, where delegates will also elect new national executives.
