Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Upper East Regional Youth Organiser aspirant Samuel Akumbo Awintariba has warned that the posture of the party’s newly elected regional executives towards defeated aspirants could deepen divisions within the NPP as it prepares for the 2028 general elections.
Mr Awintariba says what he has observed since the regional elections does not demonstrate that the new leadership is ready to reconcile with those who contested and lost, prompting him to call on the party’s youth wing to take the lead in rebuilding unity.
“From what I have seen, the new regional leadership is not ready for unity with the people who contested and lost,” he said.
He is proposing a three-point approach that would bring former contestants and their supporters back together, demand accountability from the new regional leadership and ensure that reconciliation is driven from within the Upper East Region.
As part of the proposal, Mr Awintariba wants youth organisers across the region’s 15 constituencies to push for a post-election gathering involving the various contestants and their supporters.
He believes such a gathering would provide an opportunity for members to reconnect, openly express concerns arising from the internal elections and begin rebuilding relationships fractured during the contest.
Mr Awintariba also wants the youth wing to demand honest accountability from the regional leadership, arguing that rebuilding trust requires leaders to be accountable to party members.
He insists that the reconciliation process cannot be left to the NPP’s national leadership in Accra.
“Unity won’t come from Accra. It must begin from the youth here, in the Upper East Region,” he said.
Despite his concerns about the new leadership, Mr Awintariba, who lost his bid to become Regional Youth Organiser, says defeat in an internal election should not cause unsuccessful aspirants and their supporters to withdraw from party activities.
He maintained that the NPP’s broader electoral interest must take precedence over the personal ambitions of individual members.
“I believe the party is greater than my personal interest. The fact that the mandate was not given to me does not mean that we should stay away from working for the interest of our presidential candidate,” he added.
His intervention comes as the newly elected regional executives begin the task of consolidating the NPP’s structures following the internal elections and positioning the party for the 2028 general elections.
