NPP constituency chairmen urged Boakye Agyarko to run for party chair, campaign says

Boakye Agyarko was persuaded by constituency chairmen of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to give up his presidential ambitions and contest the party’s national chairmanship, according to his campaign team.

Dr Rashid Etuaful, Mr Agyarko’s Deputy Campaign Manager, said the constituency executives believed the former Energy Minister was the right person to reorganise and rebuild the NPP before the 2028 general election.

He said their support was shown through a contribution of GH¢50,000 to pay for Mr Agyarko’s nomination forms at the party’s headquarters.

Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, August 28, 2026, Dr Etuaful said the appeal from constituency chairmen was first made in June last year.

“Somewhere in June last year, we had the constituency chairmen across the country tell my candidate, Hon. Boakye Agyarko, to let go of his presidential ambitions and come and take the party and organise it.”

Dr Etuaful said Mr Agyarko did not immediately agree to enter the chairmanship contest. Instead, he asked for time to reflect on the proposal before later accepting the request.

The campaign official said the chairmen’s backing extended beyond discussions, with nearly 50 of them raising money to obtain the nomination forms on Mr Agyarko’s behalf.

“Chairman Arhin led the team. Almost 50 chairmen came and said, ‘We said you should contest. We don’t want to spend your money. It is GH¢50,000. We chairmen have contributed, and we are bringing you the form,’” he said.

According to Dr Etuaful, the events showed that Mr Agyarko’s decision to seek the national chairmanship was the result of grassroots pressure rather than a personal attempt to take control of the NPP.

He said the campaign had visited all 276 constituencies as it sought support for Mr Agyarko’s bid, and was now moving into a fresh phase of campaigning in the Greater Accra Region.

“We have done all 276 constituencies with him everywhere. I’ve been everywhere, every constituency, with him,” he said.

Dr Etuaful added that Mr Agyarko’s decision was motivated by a desire to restore the NPP’s strength and competitiveness ahead of the 2028 general election.

“He needs to see the party come back and rise again in 2028. And that is what is keeping him going,” he said.

He rejected suggestions that the chairmanship bid was intended to provide a platform for Mr Agyarko to revive a personal presidential campaign.

Instead, Dr Etuaful said the priority was to rebuild the party’s organisational structures, arguing that a strong party would be essential to any attempt to win the next presidential election.

“The party cannot win, or the presidential candidate cannot win, if the party is weak,” Dr Etuaful said.