The Chief of Staff of the Dr Mahamudu Bawumia Campaign Team, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has warned that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) current leadership structure could create internal tensions if the party fails to carefully review its constitutional provisions.
His comments come as the NPP prepares to consider constitutional amendments aimed at clarifying who should be recognised as the party’s leader.
Under the party’s current arrangement, the leadership role is associated with the National Chairman when the party is in government and in opposition.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu believes the arrangement could lead to conflicts, particularly in situations where the National Chairman and the party’s presidential candidate do not support the same candidate or belong to the same faction.
He said some party members are advocating for a formal definition of the leadership role to prevent possible disputes.
He noted that while some members believe the presidential candidate should be recognised as the party’s leader, others argue that the current practice of leaving the position undefined should be maintained.
“We’ve had situations where the person who became the chairman may not have had the person who eventually became the presidential candidate as his candidate. So if you have such a situation, it’s a recipe for confusion and conflict in the party,” he said.
According to him, some party members have suggested that if the leadership position is to be formalised, it should be vested in the presidential candidate, while others believe the party should retain the current practice without explicitly naming anyone in the constitution.
“We leave it as it had been without naming whoever, but the generality of the people recognise that the presidential candidate is effectively the leader of the party de facto. Or do we formalise it? I think the party will have to think through what is the most appropriate,” he said.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the leadership proposal is among several constitutional amendments expected to be considered at the party’s National Delegates Conference scheduled for September 19, 2026, where delegates will also elect new national officers.
He explained that another proposal seeks to strengthen the role of polling station executives by clearly assigning them responsibility for promoting the party’s political, social and economic programmes through house-to-house campaigns.
The proposed amendments would also require polling station executives to register party members during their outreach activities and establish reporting mechanisms to help the party determine its membership strength at the grassroots level.
He said the reforms are intended to support the growth and development of the party.
As part of the process, the NPP has invited members to submit proposed constitutional amendments by July 17, 2026, ahead of the delegates’ conference on September 19, where the proposals will be considered alongside the election of national executives.