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Party veteran calls for greater inclusivity, transparency, and the scrapping of the controversial presidential shortlist mechanism
Veteran politician and former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, has tabled a set of wide-ranging constitutional reform proposals aimed at deepening internal democracy and reducing electoral tensions within the party.
In a formal memorandum addressed to the NPP Constitution Amendment Committee and copied to its chairman, legal practitioner Frank Davies, Mr Agyepong laid out three key recommendations that, if adopted, would mark a significant shift in the party’s internal governance.
Chief among his proposals is the creation of Constituency Caucuses — representative bodies in each of the party’s 276 constituencies — that would bring together current and former office holders. These would include Members of Parliament, Municipal and District Chief Executives, polling station and electoral area executives, as well as patrons and elders. According to Mr Agyepong, this would modestly expand the party’s electoral college and help ensure broader consultation and participation in decision-making.
“This proposal represents a limited enlargement of the electoral college, ensuring broader consultation and representation in key decision-making processes,” the memorandum stated.
In a second reform, Mr Agyepong recommends reordering the NPP’s internal election calendar to prioritise the presidential primaries — a reversal of the current sequence that sees multiple lower-level contests occur ahead of the flagbearer election. He argues that holding the presidential primaries first, after amending the composition of the electoral college, would ease internal tensions and create a more coherent timeline. He cited Article 13(1) of the party’s constitution as a basis for this proposed adjustment.
But perhaps most notably, the former presidential hopeful is urging the party to abolish Article 13(9), the constitutional provision that mandates a special electoral college to whittle down presidential aspirants to five candidates. Agyepong criticised the mechanism as undemocratic and open to manipulation, due to its limited size, often comprising fewer than 1,000 individuals.
“The current structure of this special college… undermines democratic fairness,” he wrote, calling instead for a more inclusive process to determine the party’s presidential ticket.
The submission follows discussions at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra on 16 April. The NPP is currently undertaking a review of its constitution as it prepares to rebuild following its defeat in the 2024 general election.
Mr Agyepong, who has long positioned himself as a voice for internal party reform, contested the NPP’s 2023 presidential primaries but failed to make the shortlist — a process he had at the time described as flawed and opaque.
His latest proposals are likely to spark renewed debate within the party’s rank and file about the path forward. Reform advocates may view them as a long-overdue step toward democratising internal structures, while critics may caution against altering long-standing procedures too hastily.
The Constitutional Amendment Committee is expected to conclude its deliberations later this year.
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