The two-part event is expected to last the entire day on October 3.
First, they will consider proposed amendments to portions of the party’s constitution and secondly, oversee the election of national officers.
Party stalwarts, faithful and grassroots members are all heading to the stadium for this important occasion.
One of the key positions being contested is the National Chairman.
John Boadu, Paul Afoko, Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko and Sammy Crabbe have secured the 1,2,3,4 positions on the ballot and are giving it various interpretations.
However, one outcome is certain- the delegates will elect one of the four by a simple majority.
Here are profiles of the four contenders for the National Chairman position:
John Boadu
John Boadu is a seasoned political administrator, institutional strategist, and one of the longest-serving executives in the history of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). With over 30 years of uninterrupted dedication to the Elephant Family, he has served at every single tier of party administration, earning a reputation as a unifying leader who understands the mechanics of winning elections from the ground up. His political activism dates back to the very days of the founding of the NPP before 1992, where as a young activist, he joined senior members of his political tradition—including H.E. John Kufuor, Chairman B.J. da Rocha, and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the famous Danquah-Busia Club.
Choosing the hard road of retail politics over air-conditioned national offices, John Boadu began his career cutting his teeth at the foundational level as a Polling Station Chairman and later serving as a Polling Agent for the party in the 1996 elections. In the buildup to the landmark election of 2000, his capacity for strategic communication and training became clear as he served as a trainer of trainers for the party in the Greater Accra and Volta Regions.
His early administrative brilliance and raw organizing capacity quickly caught the attention of local stakeholders, leading to his ascent into national leadership. He stands today as the longest-serving officer of the party at the National Secretariat, having worked continuously at the national headquarters since 2001. His historic climb through the ranks saw him serve as the first elected National Youth Treasurer, National Finance Officer, National Youth Organizer, Deputy National Communications Director, and National Organizer.
John Boadu’s leadership is defined by an undeniable, record-breaking track record of executive delivery. At the peak of the NPP’s internal crisis in the lead-up to the 2016 general elections, which culminated in the suspension of the party's National Chairman and General Secretary, the immense burden of delivering a seemingly impossible electoral victory was placed on his shoulders.
Serving as the National Organizer, he was handed the onerous responsibility of mobilizing the rank and file across all levels. He was subsequently tasked by the National Executive Committee to head the National Secretariat as the Acting General Secretary, while simultaneously being appointed as the Director of Operations for the entire 2016 campaign. Gracioulsy accepting these three massive, overlapping strategic positions, John Boadu competently blended his roles to deliver a resounding, unprecedented victory for the NPP.
Under his immediate watch as General Secretary and Director of Campaign Operations and Logistics in both the 2016 and 2020 general elections, the NPP achieved milestones unmatched since the return to democratic rule in 1992. He led the party to secure a historic "Parliamentary Peak" of 169 seats in 2016, snatching an incredible 55 seats from the governing NDC and granting the party an absolute legislative majority.
Furthermore, he led the NPP to win the 2016 presidential election by over 1 million valid votes—a record margin of victory in the Fourth Republic that remains unbroken to this day. In 2020, he engineered the operational blueprint that delivered the "Voting Milestone" of 6.7 million votes, marking the highest total vote count ever achieved by any political party in the history of Ghana.
This unmatched executive track record was powered by John Boadu’s innovative approach to election management and grassroots empowerment. He spearheaded the successful roll-out of a robust IT architecture and election management software known as the Pink Sheet Tracking System.
This revolutionary system made it possible for the party to collate its nationwide election results from all 38,000 polling stations in less than 12 hours after the polls close, marking the fastest election collation undertaken by any political party in the world. In addition, he introduced the highly successful “Adopt a Polling Station and Constituency Campaign” strategy, which channeled direct investment and resources from individual members and organized groups into targeted local campaigns.
Throughout these cycles, he personally supervised the timely and effective distribution of campaign logistics and spearheaded massive nationwide training and orientation workshops for party officers at regional, constituency, and polling station levels.
On the international front, John Boadu’s vast political experience and competence in managing the affairs of the NPP have consistently earned global recognition. His insights have been valued by major global political parties, including the Conservative Party of the UK, the Communist Party of China, and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) of Germany, as well as the International Democrat Union (IDU).
In recognition of his organizational skills and commitment to promoting party discipline and democracy across the continent, he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Democratic Union of Africa (DUA) on September 25, 2020, a position he continues to occupy after previously serving as DUA Vice Chair for West Africa. His international leadership footprint also includes serving as the Secretary-General of the Organization of African Liberal Youth between 2003 and 2006.
Following broad consultations with Founding Fathers, the Council of Elders, specialized organs, and frontline foot soldiers, John Boadu has officially stepped forward to contest for the National Chairmanship position of the New Patriotic Party. He views this current chapter of his political journey not as a personal pursuit, but as a sacred administrative rescue mission. Grounded in deep institutional memory, absolute tolerance, and an unbitter commitment to the base, his objective is clear: to regroup, reorganize, and safely lead the NPP back to power ahead of the 2028 elections.
John Boadu
Sammy Crabbe
Sammy Crabbe is an entrepreneur, innovator, and former Second National Vice Chairman of Ghana's opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Background and Education
• Education: Attended Prempeh College and earned an MBA in International Marketing from the Monaco Business School (International University of Monaco).
• Family: Married with one child.
Business and Entrepreneurial Career
• Business Outsourcing: Founded ACS BPS, noted as the first business outsourcing company in Africa, scaling it to thousands of employees.
• Ventures: Co-founded Ghana's first medical transcription company, helped establish Ghana International Airlines, and consulted on MTN's mobile money rollout before founding Oman Ghana, a UK-headquartered fintech firm.
• Global Footprint: Has business and investment interests spanning the UK, UAE, Philippines, Ghana, and the Gambia.
Political Career and NPP Involvement
• Early Activism: Served as the Secretary to the Greater Accra Regional branch of the Alliance for Change (AFC), which organized the historic Kumepreko demonstrations.
• Party Roles: Rose through the ranks from ward organizer and constituency organizer to regional chairman and eventually Second National Vice Chairman of the NPP.
• Suspension and Return: Previously faced suspension during internal party disputes in 2015, which he publicly criticized as an unconstitutional infringement on party structures.
• National Chairmanship Bid: Following the NPP's 2024 general election defeat, he announced his bid to run for the position of NPP National Chairman, campaigning on institutional reforms, a structured welfare and reward system for grassroots members, and a return to the party's founding values.
Paul Afoko
Mr. Paul Afoko was born on 31st August 1954. He had his elementary education at St. Mary’s Primary School, Navrongo, and Our Lady Middle School in Tamale. He attended Bawku Secondary school where he did his GCE ordinary level before continuing at Navrongo Secondary School for his Advanced Level School Certificate from 1974-1976 (Sixth form).
His interest in politics and his strong belief in democratic governance started at an early age. During his student years he actively campaigned against Acheampong’s Union Government idea. And history documents a singular act of boldness on his part during the wee hours of the Rawlings-led 31st December 1981 coup, which ousted the democratically elected government of President Hilla Limann. While most political heavyweights in the country hesitated coming out and openly condemning the military takeover, the twenty-six year-old Paul, together with seven others, were among the few who did not only condemn the coup but tried to mobilize peaceful civil resistance against it. Paul went on a community radio station (URA) in Bolgatanga, and urged people in his home Upper Region (then including Upper West) to dare the machinery of the military government through massive peaceful resistance by staying away from work. The group went on to demonstrate against the coup on January 1st, 1982.
According to Alhaji Bature Iddrisu (who himself was a cadre of the Rawlings revolution and who together with cadre-colleagues also staged counter demonstrations in support of the coup), Rawlings, sensing danger in the activities of Mr. Afoko and his group and the potential it had spreading to other regions quickly dispatched troops from the 6th battalion of infantry at Tamale to Bolgatanga to quell the unrest and arrest the leaders.
By the time the army arrived in Bolgatanga and following threats on his life from supporters of Rawlings, Paul, together with the other leaders of the rebellion, fled to neighboring Burkina Faso. He spent a few weeks in Ouagadougou before being persuaded by his father, Mr. Francis Asianab Afoko, to return to Ghana, in the hope that his son would be pardoned. Contrary to that expectation, Paul was arrested on his return and detained without charge, first in police custody in Bolgatanga then in Gondar barracks in Tamale and finally in Ussher Fort Prison in Accra.
After spending several months at Ussher Fort Prison, Mr Afoko was released in 1983 when a group of non-commissioned soldiers led by Corporal Alidu Giwa attempted toppling Rawlings and in the event stormed Ussher Fort and released all the political prisoners there. Paul fled to the United Kingdom where he was granted political asylum. While in the UK, he furthered his education at the prestigious London School of Economics.
He returned to Ghana in 2001 after the country had returned to civilian rule and he no longer faced the risk of political persecution. He became a member of the NPP and remained one of the party’s articulate firebrands in the area of communication until his drafting into the National Council representing the Upper East Region.
His election to the post of national chairman of the party is the recognition of his mettle as an NPP leader capable of leading his party to victory in the general elections that will take place in 2016. Paul’s father was an NPP stalwart and a member of the Council of State in Kufour’s administration.
A financial analyst, successful businessman and one of the main sponsors of his party, the new NPP, Mr. Paul Afoko sees his immediate task as uniting an NPP, fraught with internal conflict, returning his party to power and moving the country’s economy forward. He is married and has four adult children, two daughters and two sons.
Paul Afoko
Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko
Born in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region to Mr Kwasi Agyarko, a Merchant and a United Party activist from Jamase, Ashanti and Teacher Jane Ladze Padi from Krobo-Odumase in the Eastern Region, he had his elementary education at K.O. Methodist Primary School (Ashanti New Town) and the University of Science and Technology (UST) Primary School.
He proceeded to Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast on September 18, 1969 and went on to University of Ghana, Legon in 1976. He studied Economics and Political Science.
Boakye (or Torino as he was affectionately called in school) was an agile and enthusiastic sportsman. He represented Mfantsipim School in 110m hurdles, triple and long jump events.
He demonstrated a high sense of discipline whilst in school, which earned him various student leadership positions such as Secretary of the Voluntary Work Camps Association (VOLU) and President of the Ghana United Nations Students and Youth Association (GUNSA). He later became the National Secretary, National President and National Coordinator of GUNSA in 1978, 1979 and 1980 respectively.
He completed his National Service as the National Coordinator of GUNSA... He subsequently joined Management & Investment Consultants Limited (MANCONSULT), a private economic management consulting firm in Accra as junior economist from 1981 to 1984.
- Fled Ghana in 1984 after being shot at Air Force Base at Burma Camp during the PNDC era after being suspected of involvement in a failed coup by Lance Corporal Halidu Giwa - sent to 37 Military Hospital morgue, survived miraculously, then left Ghana via London to France and then to USA as political refugee.
- In USA, obtained Advanced Professional Certificate in Banking from American Institute of Banking and MBA Financial Economics from Pace University, New York.
- 20+ years at Bank of New York, rising to Vice President and Head of Global Network Management.
- Founding member of NPP in 1992, Chairman of Danquah-Busia Club of North America, returned in 2007 resigning from Wall Street to campaign full-time for NPP.
- Served as National Campaign Manager 2012, Policy Advisor 2016, Minister for Energy Feb 2017-Aug 2018.
Boakye Kyeremanteng Agyarko
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