NPP will be better prepared for 2028 election security – Ekua Amoakoh

Spokesperson for NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Health Committee, Dr Ekua Amoakoh, says the party’s recent national executive elections show that delegates want stronger security arrangements ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Speaking in a personality profile interview on JoyNews’ PM Express with Emefa Adeti, Dr Amoakoh reflected on the security challenges the party faced during the 2024 elections, describing the situation as chaotic and saying party officials were often unable to protect their polling agents.

She said she was in the NPP’s war room during the elections and witnessed reports of violence at various polling stations and collation centres.

“All we were seeing was various pockets of violence being directed at our polling agents. There was even an instance in the Upper East Region where some of our polling agents were held at gunpoint to confirm certain results,” she said.

“These are all things we saw that day, and there was nothing we could do about it.”

Dr Amoakoh said the two major political parties had agreed to leave election security arrangements to the Ghana Police Service rather than rely on party-based security or vigilantism.

However, she argued that the police presence at some locations was insufficient to contain disturbances.

She cited an example of a collation centre where about 100 people were present, but only around 10 police officers were available, adding that the officers were unarmed.

She said the party’s grassroots members and polling agents bore the consequences of the situation, while disputes over some parliamentary results led to re-collation exercises.

Dr Amoakoh said the outcome of the NPP’s recent national executive elections suggested that delegates had taken lessons from the 2024 experience and wanted the party to prepare differently.

“I think the election results from this past Saturday just show that the party took notice of what happened in 2024. And they want to do something about it,” she said.

She added that the results reinforced her view that delegates understood what the party needed at different stages of its development.

“It’s clear that we will not be as unprepared security-wise as we were in 2024,” she said.

Her comments come as the NPP reorganises its structures following its defeat in the 2024 general elections and prepares for the next polls in 2028.

Dr Amoakoh also criticised what she described as the governing National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) interest in the NPP’s internal affairs.

She argued that the NDC should focus on governance rather than the opposition party’s internal processes.

“I think especially since they have the responsibility of governance, I would expect that they focus on more interesting, more important things. This is like a family matter for the NPP,” she said.

Asked why she believed the NDC was paying attention to the NPP’s internal affairs, she suggested that the opposition party’s preparations had unsettled the governing party.

“It’s because it has driven some fear into their hearts that, no, this time we will not be pushed around,” she said.

Her remarks reflect her own interpretation of the NDC’s response to the NPP’s internal elections.

The NPP held its National Delegates Conference at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on October 3, 2026, as part of its reorganisation ahead of the 2028 general elections.

Dr Amoakoh’s comments place election security among the issues she believes the party must address following the challenges reported during the 2024 polls.

The party’s preparations will take place against the backdrop of concerns about violence at polling stations and collation centres, as well as disputes over election results.