Dr. Kingsley Ahenkora-Duodu
The Deputy Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the United Kingdom (UK), Dr. Kingsley Ahenkora-Duodu, is calling on the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to urgently implement constitutional reforms that will grant external branches fair and equal delegate representation.
According to Dr. Ahenkora-Duodu, branches outside Ghana such as NPP-UK, NPP-USA, and NPP-Germany play a critical role in the party’s political success, yet remain underrepresented in decision-making processes.
He argued that this imbalance contradicts the democratic ideals the NPP stands for.
“External branches are not just support groups. They are highly organised, politically active units, each with more than 20 functioning chapters—comparable to constituencies in Ghana,” he said.
Dr. Ahenkora-Duodu said while each Ghanaian constituency is granted 17 delegates during internal elections, external branches receive only 12.
For him, this discrepancy creates a significant gap in representation, pointing out that youth and women organisers in external branches have limited voting rights, with no representation for chapter executives in the election of national wing leaders.
“This marginalisation of grassroots leaders who do the everyday work of the party is a missed opportunity for real, bottom-up participation,” he said.
To correct this, Dr. Ahenkora-Duodu is proposing that external branches be officially recognised as full regional bodies in the NPP’s constitution. He is also advocating for the recognition of each chapter as a constituency, with appropriate voting rights and resources.
Among other proposals, he recommended the creation of a nine-member Council of Elders per external branch with delegate status, and expanded voting rights for youth and women wing executives across chapters.
Backing his case with economic data, Dr. Ahenkora-Duodu highlighted that Ghana’s diaspora remitted $4.7 billion in 2023, a significant portion of which came from NPP members abroad who actively support the party through campaign funding, outreach, and policy input.
“The truth is that the external branches are already functioning as full partners in the party’s progress. It’s time the constitution reflects that reality,” Dr. Ahenkora-Duodu concluded.
By Ernest Kofi Adu