The New Patriotic Party (NPP) restarted the race for Upper East Regional Youth Organiser after disqualifying both original aspirants for failing to meet the party’s constitutional age requirement, bringing weeks of controversy over the contest to an unexpected climax.
In a notice issued on July 26, 2026, the Upper East Regional Executive Elections Committee announced that nominations for the position had been reopened from July 26 to July 27, allowing eligible party members to file fresh nominations at the Regional Party Office.
The committee said the decision became necessary after determining that both original aspirants failed to satisfy the party’s constitutional requirement that candidates for the position of Regional Youth Organiser must be below 40 years of age.
The latest development marks a dramatic reversal in a contest that had been dominated by an age eligibility dispute involving Samuel Akumbo Awintariba, popularly known as Wakiki, and Jonathan Abugre, also known as “Contempt.”
The controversy began after Mr. Awintariba was initially disqualified over questions about his age, prompting him to appeal the decision.
The party’s Appeals Committee subsequently ruled that both Mr. Awintariba and Mr. Abugre were eligible to contest, a decision that appeared to settle the matter.
However, in a fresh twist, the Regional Executive Elections Committee later concluded that neither aspirant met the constitutional age requirement, effectively nullifying the earlier process and reopening nominations for the position.
The decision resets the contest for one of the party’s key regional executive positions and opens the door for any eligible party member below the age of 40 to contest.
The controversy also comes amid a broader debate within the NPP over the definition of youth. During the party’s 2025 National Delegates Conference, delegates rejected a proposal to reduce the youth age ceiling from 40 to 35 years, leaving the constitutional age limit unchanged.
With the nomination window now closed, attention is expected to shift to the new aspirants who filed to contest the position and how the unexpected restart will affect the party’s regional executive elections in the Upper East Region.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Apiah | Bolgatanga
