The New Patriotic Party in the Weija-Gbawe Constituency is facing growing internal tension following allegations of electoral manipulation, intimidation and constitutional breaches ahead of the party’s polling station elections scheduled for May 15 and 16, 2026.
Concerned grassroots members of the party are calling for immediate intervention from the National Executive Committee (NEC), warning that failure to address the situation could weaken the party’s support base and threaten its chances in the 2028 general elections.
In a strongly worded statement issued on May 13, 2026, the aggrieved members accused the Polling Station Election Committee of operating outside NEC guidelines.
“The Polling Station Election Committee was structurally compromised from its inception,” the statement alleged. “Despite formal petitions dispatched to Constituency, Regional and National Executives, these infractions remain unaddressed, signaling a passive endorsement of internal illegality.”
The statement further claimed that the vetting process had been manipulated to sideline certain grassroots contestants believed to be aligned with former Member of Parliament, Tina Gifty Naa Ayeley Mensah.
According to the petitioners, nomination forms belonging to some aspirants were either destroyed or excluded from the official register.
“Application forms belonging to popular grassroots contestants were intentionally destroyed or excluded from the official registry,” the statement claimed.
The group also accused the committee of secretly reopening nominations after the official vetting process had ended.
“Official vetting closed on Thursday, May 7. However, the committee secretly reopened nominations on Friday, May 8, to allow handpicked loyalists of sitting MP, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, to complete forms and force artificial contests,” the statement alleged.
Further allegations were directed at Constituency Chairman Michael Danquah and Constituency Secretary Emmanuel Ofori Akoto, also known as Emmanuel Akurugu Atia, who were accused of threatening party members with removal from the party’s voting album.
The statement also challenged the legality of a Notice of Poll issued on May 12, describing the process as irregular and lacking transparency.
According to the petitioners, elections are being conducted in only 48 out of the constituency’s 238 polling stations, while some applicants have allegedly been reassigned to positions they never applied for.
“This directly violates Paragraph 13 of the NEC Guidelines, which mandates explicit, transparent publications for all stations whether decided by ballot, headcount or acclamation,” the statement said.
The aggrieved members additionally accused Regional Representative Ambrose Tsegah of abandoning his neutral role and allegedly acting in favour of the sitting MP.
The statement warned that continued internal disputes and alleged unfair treatment could trigger mass defections from the party to emerging political movements, including a group identified as “The Base.”
Citing electoral data from previous elections, the group noted that although the NPP recorded comfortable victories in the constituency in both 2016 and 2020, the 2024 elections reflected a sharp decline in support.
“The data proves Weija-Gbawe is transitioning into a volatile swing constituency,” the statement warned. “Unchecked impunity has triggered mass disillusionment.”
The group is therefore demanding that the Regional and National leadership of the party immediately suspend the electoral process, dissolve the current committee, audit the polling station album and restore what they describe as constitutional order within the constituency.
The statement was signed by Bishop T.D., a former Constituency Communication Officer of the NPP in Weija-Gbawe.
Story: Patrick Asford Boadu
