The race for the Ashanti Regional Chairman position of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched contests in the party’s regional executive elections, with Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, facing former Bantama MP Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu.
The NPP Ashanti Regional elections are scheduled to take place at the Kumasi Jubilee Park on Saturday, August 15, 2026, as the party intensifies its reorganisation ahead of the 2028 general election.
The elections are expected to produce regional leadership teams responsible for strengthening the party’s grassroots structures and mobilising support as the NPP seeks to recover from its defeat in the 2024 general election.
The reorganisation process is expected to culminate in the election of national officers on October 3, 2026.
The Regional Delegates Conference comprises members of the Regional Executive Committee, Members of Parliament, constituency executive committees, representatives of the Regional Council of Elders and Council of Patrons, as well as representatives of TESCON and other constitutionally recognised groups.
Delegates will elect regional chairpersons, first and second vice-chairpersons, secretaries and deputy secretaries, treasurers, organisers, women’s organisers, youth organisers, Nasara organisers, communications officers and Persons with Disability coordinators.
The Ashanti Region is expected to attract significant attention, given its importance to the NPP’s electoral fortunes. The chairmanship contest between COKA and Dr Kokofu has therefore emerged as the centrepiece of the NPP Ashanti Regional elections.
COKA, a former Afigya Sekyere South Constituency Chairman, has built a strong grassroots network through years of active involvement in party mobilisation. He is seeking to return to the regional executive leadership and has maintained that he remains focused on securing the delegates’ mandate.
His performance in the 2022 Ashanti Regional executive elections is also being closely watched. COKA secured 306 votes against the 464 votes obtained by incumbent Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly known as Chairman Wontumi.
Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, meanwhile, brings extensive political and public service experience to the contest. He previously served as Member of Parliament for Bantama, Chairman of the Bantama NPP Constituency and Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency.
His campaign has focused on his administrative experience and his ability to help reposition the party’s regional structures.
The contest has generated considerable interest among party members, with 34 aspirants cleared to contest various positions following the vetting process.
The outcome of the chairmanship race is expected to depend largely on how successfully both candidates consolidate support among constituency executives and other members of the regional electoral college.
Beyond the chairmanship contest, several other positions are expected to attract keen competition as delegates choose a new team to lead the party’s regional operations.
The NPP Ashanti Regional elections have also transformed parts of Kumasi into campaign centres, with posters of aspirants dominating streets and other public spaces around the city.
Campaigning across all 47 constituencies has ended, with candidates now making their final preparations and mobilising support ahead of Saturday’s vote.
The outcome will not only determine who leads the NPP in the Ashanti Region but could also influence the party’s grassroots reorganisation and preparations for the 2028 general election.
By : Rachael Djabakie