NPP Volta Appointments Trigger Internal Dispute
A list of new regional officers has been declared null and void by the party’s elected executives.
A fresh internal dispute has emerged within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Volta Region following conflicting statements over the appointment of regional officers. A statement issued by the NPP Volta Regional Secretariat on August 26, 2026, and signed by Regional Chairman Makafui Kofi Woanyah, announced the appointment of 10 persons to various regional positions. However, a separate statement issued the same day by Shabanton Moses Kwesi Dutsorgbe disputed the appointments, arguing that they had not been authorised through the constitutionally required process involving the elected Regional Executives.
The first statement, titled “Appointment of Regional Officers,” said the appointments were made in consultation with the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) in accordance with Article 9(2) of the NPP Constitution, as amended in 2025. Those named were Enyonam Morve as Financial Secretary, Alhassan Samadu as Deputy Organiser, Mercy Kpodo as Deputy Women’s Organiser, Innocent Richard Dzamabi as Deputy Youth Organiser and Karim Raifu as Deputy Nasara Organiser. Others were Richard Kwadekpo, Electoral Affairs Officer; Ruben Dorkcoo, Research Officer; Erick Kwame Akatsi Dumenu, PWD Coordinator; Bless Kofi Dunyo Esq, Legal Representative; and Wisdom Jid Gakpo, Regional Special Duties Officer. The statement congratulated the appointees and wished them success in their respective roles.
But the counter statement, issued as an “Immediate Release Disclaimer” under the heading “Re-Appointment of Regional Officers,” challenged the constitutional basis of the announcement. It cited Article 9(10) of the NPP Constitution, which it said provides that within 14 days of the election of Regional Executives, the elected Regional Officers shall, in consultation with the NEC, appoint the Regional Officers required to be appointed under the relevant provision. According to the disclaimer, there had been no official meeting of the elected Regional Executives since their election to deliberate on, consider or approve the appointments announced by the Regional Chairman. It consequently maintained that any purported appointments made without the required consultation and collective consideration could not be regarded as a decision of the Regional Executives. The statement therefore declared the appointments “null and void,” stressing that they had not emanated from a duly constituted meeting or decision of the elected Regional Executives.
It further warned that the appointments should not be interpreted as representing the collective position or decision of the Regional Executives. The conflicting statements have effectively created uncertainty over the status of the 10 individuals named to the various positions and exposed disagreements over the interpretation and application of the NPP’s constitutional provisions governing the appointment of regional officers. While the first statement invokes Article 9(2) and says the appointments were made in consultation with the NEC, the disclaimer relies on Article 9(10) and argues that the elected Regional Executives must first collectively consider and approve the appointments. The development could therefore raise questions within the party about the extent of the Regional Chairman’s authority in making appointments and the procedural requirements that must be satisfied before such appointments become valid.
As of the statements dated August 26, the two positions remain directly opposed: one formally announces the appointments, while the other rejects them as lacking the constitutionally required collective approval of the elected Regional Executives. The dispute places the affected positions and the authority of the newly announced officers in doubt unless the competing interpretations are resolved by the appropriate party structures.
By: Joyce Owusu
