Boakye Agyarko
With pundits tipping Boakye Agyarko to win Saturday’s national chairmanship race for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the former Energy Minister has completed his nationwide tour.
Agyarko is poised to clinch victory in tomorrow’s race in the Ashanti Regional capital.
Beaming with confident smiles, he could not but say to his teeming supporters and well-wishers that “the tour is over.”
He had just finished a marathon nationwide campaign trip. His message was digested by his audience who could not forget his tireless journey through the political seasons. His popular lines: “My party right or wrong I stand by it,” resonated among his audience wherever he touched base.
His mission, as he has said since he commenced his base-touching tour, is to “unite our party, rebuild our structures and deliver victory in 2028.”
A victory for the NPP being his preoccupation, he said, demands the bestowal of the chairmanship to actualise this dream, stressing, “I need that mandate to lead that work.”
Following the filing of his nomination forms at the NPP headquarters earlier, Agyarko said his vision was anchored on what he described as “Operation One Touch,” a strategy aimed at achieving two victories in one election; electing Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as President and restoring the parliamentary majority.
“On 3rd October, if you are satisfied, give me the mandate. And do not give it to me for my sake. Give it to me to deliver ‘Operation One Touch.’ Operation One Touch is simple. One touch, two victories.
“Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will be sworn in as President of the Republic of Ghana, and the Majority restored to our side of the House in Parliament. A President without a Majority is a driver without a road. We must win both, and we must win them together, in one touch,” he stated.
For a man who believes in discipline, he has assured all party faithful that under him as national chairman, the NPP will witness unity countrywide – from Pusiga to Prampram.
He acknowledged the NPP’s decline in parliamentary representation, noting that the party’s seats had reduced from 169 in 2016 to 137 in 2020 and further down to 88 in the 2024 general election.
According to him, the party’s presidential vote deficit in 2024 reflected a deeper disconnect between the NPP and some sections of the electorate, especially traders, teachers, farmers, drivers and young graduates who once queued in the sun for the party, anomaly which he promised to address when he takes over the mantle of leadership of the party.
“The Elephant is wounded. But hear me clearly: a wounded elephant is still an elephant. Our tradition is sound. Our ideas are sound. What we lost was not our creed. What we lost was the discipline of tending it,” he said.
Mr. Agyarko highlighted his experience in banking, politics and public service, citing his 22 years at the Bank of New York, where he rose to the position of Vice President, as well as his roles as a founding member of the NPP, National Campaign Manager in 2012, Policy Adviser and Cabinet Minister.
He also outlined five key commitments he would pursue if elected National Chairman, including ensuring unity within the party, creating a credible membership register, improving financial accountability, reconciling aggrieved members and strengthening party structures.
He said the party’s transition to a one-member, one-vote system following a Supreme Court directive required a transparent and reliable membership register.
Mr. Agyarko also called for unity among party members, stressing that the NPP must remain a home for all supporters regardless of background or religion.
“We are a broad tradition. Christian and Muslim. North and South. The veteran who stood in the rain in 1992 and the student who joined us last year. The Elephant is large enough to carry all of them, and it must,” he stated.
Agyarko was born in 1956, at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region to Kwasi Agyarko. His father was a merchant and United Party activist from Jamase in the Ashanti Region and his mother was Jane Ladze Padi from Krobo Odumase in the Eastern Region.
Agyarko attended the K. O. Methodist Primary School in Ashtown and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Primary School in Kumasi. He then proceeded to Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast for his secondary education from where he had both his GCE Ordinary Level and GCE Advanced Level. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon and immigrated to the United States of America as a political refugee.
Whilst there, he obtained an Advanced Professional Certificate in Banking from the American Institute of Banking and a Master of Business Administration in Financial Economics from Pace University, New York.