Newly elected New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as Asanteman COKA, has taken a significant step towards healing wounds and strengthening unity within the party following the regional chairmanship elections.
Mr Appiah met his main contender in the contest, Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, just a day after emerging victorious in the keenly contested race.
The meeting, according to the newly elected chairman, forms part of his broader commitment to bring all factions and supporters together and reorganise the party in the Ashanti Region ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Speaking after the engagement, COKA emphasised that the NPP could not afford to remain divided if it wanted to regain power in 2028.
“We are hungry for power, and nobody will be left behind. Together, we will unite, rebuild, and work for victory,” he said.
The meeting with Dr Kokofu is being viewed as an early indication of the chairman’s intention to move beyond the divisive nature of internal elections and concentrate on rebuilding the party’s structures and electoral fortunes.
The Ashanti Region remains one of the NPP’s traditional strongholds and is therefore considered crucial to the party’s prospects in the next general election.
COKA’s engagement with Dr Kokofu comes against the backdrop of a competitive regional chairmanship election in which both candidates sought the mandate of the party’s delegates.
Rather than allowing the contest to create lasting divisions, the newly elected chairman has chosen reconciliation and collaboration as part of his post-election agenda.
According to COKA, victory in an internal election should not translate into the exclusion of those who contested against the winner. He has therefore indicated his readiness to work with party members across the various camps to strengthen the NPP’s organisational base.
The meeting with Dr Kokofu is also expected to set the tone for broader consultations with other party stakeholders, including former and current executives, parliamentary candidates, constituency executives, polling station officers, youth groups, women’s groups and other grassroots supporters.
The chairman’s call that “nobody will be left behind” underscores his stated intention to build an inclusive regional administration in which the contributions of party members are valued irrespective of their positions during the internal elections.
Political observers within the region believe that the ability of the new leadership to reconcile competing interests will be critical to restoring confidence among the party’s grassroots.
The NPP suffered a major electoral setback in the 2024 general elections, making internal cohesion and organisational restructuring key issues ahead of the 2028 polls.
For the Ashanti Region, where political competition remains intense, party unity could have a direct bearing on the NPP’s ability to mobilise its traditional support base and attract new voters.
COKA’s immediate engagement with Dr Kokofu therefore signals an attempt to draw a line under the regional contest and begin preparations for the bigger political battle ahead.
The chairman has pledged to prioritise unity, discipline, grassroots mobilisation and strategic reorganisation as the party begins its journey towards the 2028 elections.
The meeting with Dr Kokofu could consequently mark the beginning of a broader reconciliation process within the Ashanti NPP, with the ultimate objective of presenting a united party capable of mounting a strong challenge for political power.
With the regional elections now behind them, the focus is expected to shift from internal competition to rebuilding the party, strengthening its structures and reconnecting with voters across the Ashanti Region.
For COKA, the message is clear: the internal contest is over, and the campaign for unity and political victory has begun.
