The opposition NPP has endorsed significant constitutional reforms designed to broaden grassroots involvement and strengthen internal democratic practices as it prepares for its next presidential primaries.
These amendments, ratified at the party’s National Delegates Conference on Saturday, July 19, 2025, will see the expansion of the Electoral College from roughly 220,000 to over 280,000 delegates. This expansion will enable a wider pool of members to participate in electing the party’s presidential candidate and other key national executives.
Party leaders have described the reforms as a critical effort to make the party’s structures more inclusive and to curb the concentration of influence within a small elite group.
Under the new provisions, voting rights have been extended to a broader group, including former Members of Parliament, ex-ministers, past municipal and district chief executives, and former regional and constituency executives. Additionally, voting rights have been granted to leaders of TESCON, the party’s tertiary education wing, as well as members of the National Council of Elders and the Patrons Council.
At the grassroots level, polling station executives—considered the party’s foundational support base—will benefit from an expansion in leadership roles, with the introduction of positions such as Electoral Affairs Officer and Communications Officer.
Party officials say these constitutional changes are part of a long-term strategy to transition towards a full one-member-one-vote electoral system by 2028. In the interim, the enlarged Electoral College will play a pivotal role in the selection process for the party’s presidential nominee for the 2026 elections.
“This reform is about empowering the ordinary members who are the engine of our party’s success,” one party official remarked. “The previous structure concentrated too much power in the hands of a select few.”
While the majority of the more than 50 proposed amendments were accepted, delegates voted against proposals to lower the age limit for youth membership to 35 and to transfer oversight of polling station elections from constituencies to regional bodies.
The Constitutional Review Committee, led by lawyer Frank Davies, defended the reforms, describing them as essential for positioning the NPP as a modern political organisation attuned to the aspirations of its grassroots.
Addressing the gathering, former Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia called for unity and discipline as the party looks ahead to the 2028 general elections. He expressed optimism about the party’s chances, provided it maintains internal cohesion.
Dr. Bawumia also cautioned against the rise of tribal and religious sentiments within the party, emphasising that neither tribalism nor religious bias has historically been a decisive factor in winning elections in Ghana.
