By Samuel Yaghr

Nandom, Upper West Region – November 9, 2026

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Nandom Constituency appears to be sinking deeper into an internal crisis, with fresh developments raising serious concerns about party unity, internal discipline, and respect for established party structures. The latest incident, which has further heightened tensions within the constituency, reportedly occurred on Monday, November 9, 2026, at approximately 2:00 p.m., when the Constituency Chairman, Patrick Nakpenaa, allegedly led a group of individuals to forcefully gain access to the party’s constituency office and remove various party properties, in what eyewitness accounts have described as a brazen operation carried out in broad daylight.

The incident is said to have involved the removal of several party properties, including personal belongings belonging to the Constituency Secretary, Hon. Edmund Bangnia Aayel. Speaking on the development, Hon. Aayel expressed surprise and disappointment over the incident, insisting that he had neither prior knowledge of nor involvement in the alleged operation. He further claimed that Chairman Nakpenaa was fully aware that he was away from the constituency, in Wa, on official assignment at the time. According to the Constituency Secretary, the chairman neither formally requested access to the office nor followed any recognized party procedure before allegedly leading the operation to gain entry and remove items from the premises to his private facility.
Hon. Aayel further alleged that the latest incident was part of an earlier attempt by the chairman to unilaterally relocate the constituency office to his private facility, an arrangement he said was opposed by other elected executives because it had never been tabled for discussion or approval at a properly constituted Executive Committee meeting. He maintained that the existing party office, which was inherited from the previous administration, remained in good condition, adequately furnished and air-conditioned by the former NPP Member of Parliament. “The party is not the chairman. Chairmen come and go, but the party remains and must be seen as bigger than any individual, including the chairman,” Hon. Aayel reportedly stressed. He also accused the chairman of attempting to sideline other delegates-elected constituency executives in favor of individuals aligned with him, insisting that such actions must be resisted by party members.

POLICE ACTION PUT ON HOLD FOLLOWING REGIONAL CHAIRMAN’S INTERVENTION

When asked about the next line of action, Hon. Aayel disclosed that he and some of the elected constituency executives had initially considered reporting the matter to the police, given what they considered the potentially criminal nature of the alleged conduct. However, following what he described as a timely intervention by the Regional Chairman, they agreed to suspend the decision to involve the police and allow the party’s established structures an opportunity to intervene and resolve the matter internally. The development has reportedly left the Nandom Constituency NPP without an operational party office until further notice, raising fresh questions about the state of internal relations and the capacity of the party’s leadership to manage the growing divisions. Attempts to reach Chairman Patrick Nakpenaa for his reaction to the allegations were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. His response, when available, will be incorporated to ensure that all sides of the story are fairly represented.

BACKGROUND: A CONSTITUENCY ELECTIONS THAT PRODUCED A DIVIDED FRONT

The latest incident comes against the backdrop of prolonged internal disagreements that have characterized the Nandom Constituency NPP since the controversial constituency elections. It will be recalled that Patrick Nakpenaa was initially disqualified by the party’s vetting committee following a petition reportedly supported by evidence which the petitioners claimed implicated him in activities contrary to the interests of the party during the 2024 general elections. According to the petitioners, the allegations centered on claims that Nakpenaa had defected to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and openly campaigned against the NPP and its parliamentary candidate during the 2024 general elections. They further alleged that his previous association with the NPP parliamentary candidate had initially created an impression of loyalty among sections of the party’s supporters, despite what they described as his subsequent actions against the party’s electoral interests.
However, in a development that reportedly surprised sections of the constituency, the vetting committee’s decision was subsequently overturned by the Regional Executive Committee, allowing Nakpenaa to contest the constituency elections. The reversal generated considerable controversy, with some party members questioning the rationale behind the intervention and its implications for internal party discipline.

Following the elections, sections of the Nandom constituency also alleged that financial inducements were deployed to influence delegates and secure what they described as a narrow electoral victory for Nakpenaa. These allegations remain disputed and have not been independently established. Tensions reportedly escalated further following disagreements over the composition of the constituency’s executive structure. According to aggrieved elected executives, the chairman allegedly disregarded established party procedures by sidelining nine other elected constituency executives and opting instead to appoint individuals from his camp who had contested and lost in the constituency elections.

The aggrieved executives maintained that the composition of the constituency’s leadership and the appointment of officers must be guided by the party’s constitutional provisions rather than unilateral decisions by the chairman. The disagreements subsequently spilled over into the party’s regional executive elections, where the nine elected Nandom constituency executives reportedly mounted a strong protest against the voting rights of individuals they considered unilateral appointees of the constituency chairman.
Following the controversy, the aggrieved executives took their concerns to the media, alleging bias and complicity on the part of the then Regional Executive Committee in its handling of the matter. The alleged break-in and removal of properties from the constituency office have now added another troubling chapter to the seemingly unending internal divisions. The aggrieved executives have reportedly vowed to resist any further attempts to use unilateral appointees to undermine the authority and participation of their fellow elected officers.

THE BIG QUESTION: WHERE IS PARTY LEADERSHIP?

With the constituency reportedly without an operational party office and relations among key stakeholders continuing to deteriorate, concerns are mounting over the future of party unity, internal discipline and effective political organisation in Nandom. For a political party seeking to rebuild its electoral fortunes ahead of the 2028 general elections, developments of this nature raise serious questions about its preparedness to reconcile internal differences, enforce its constitution, and provide effective leadership at the grassroots.
The central question, therefore, remains:

How long can the NPP in Nandom continue to operate under these circumstances without decisive intervention from the party’s regional and national leadership?
The party’s regional and national leadership must now confront the growing tensions and work towards restoring confidence in its internal structures before the divisions cause further damage to its organisational strength in the constituency.

By: Nandom FM