Delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have approved a major constitutional amendment that officially makes the party’s flagbearer the leader of the NPP.
The amendment was one of 14 proposed constitutional changes approved at the NPP National Delegates Conference held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
The decision was taken despite an earlier call by Acting National Chairman Joseph Danquah Smith to postpone consideration of the amendments until the party’s next conference.
Mr Smith had argued that time constraints could prevent delegates from adequately examining the proposed changes while simultaneously participating in the NPP national executive elections.
However, delegates proceeded with the constitutional review and unanimously approved all 14 motions presented by the NPP Constitution Amendment Committee.
NPP Flagbearer Now Recognised as Party Leader
The most notable change concerns the constitutional provision governing the leadership of the New Patriotic Party.
At the NPP’s January 31, 2026 conference, the party adopted a provision making the National Chairman the leader of the party at all times.
The latest constitutional amendment reverses that arrangement and establishes the NPP flagbearer as the leader of the party.
The change comes as the NPP begins preparations for the 2028 general election, with former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia serving as the party’s flagbearer.
Changes to NPP Vice Chairperson Elections
Delegates also approved changes to the way the party elects its Vice Chairpersons.
Under the previous system, all candidates contested the position of National First Vice Chairman, while the first, second and third Vice Chairpersons were determined based on the number of votes received.
The new arrangement requires candidates to declare the specific Vice Chairperson position they intend to contest before the election.
The conference also approved the appointment of three additional Vice Chairpersons who will not be elected.
NPP Creates New Executive Positions
Other constitutional amendments approved at the conference include the creation of Deputy Communications Officer positions within the party.
The position of IT Officer has also been elevated to an executive position under the new constitutional framework.
Chairman of the NPP Constitution Amendment Committee, Frank Davies, explained that the changes were designed to address weaknesses and omissions identified in the party’s organisational structure.
He said the amendments were necessary to correct areas that had not been adequately addressed during the previous constitutional review in 2025.
“These limited constitutional amendments were necessitated by some acts of omission and commission, which heralded the last amendment we had in 2025, so this is to cure the grey areas that we overlooked,” he said.
Mr Davies further stressed the importance of implementing the changes, citing their impact on the party’s organisational structure.
He said the amendments were necessary because of the implications they carried for the future administration and functioning of the NPP.
NPP National Delegates Conference Underway
The constitutional review formed the first major part of the NPP National Delegates Conference, after which delegates proceeded to elect new national party executives.
A total of 7,163 delegates representing all 16 regions of Ghana are taking part in the conference.
Voting for nine national executive positions is being conducted across 31 polling stations at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) is supervising the election process and conducting verification of delegates participating in the NPP national elections.
The latest constitutional changes are expected to shape the NPP’s internal leadership structure as the party reorganises ahead of the 2028 Ghana general elections.
Source: newsthemegh.com