Members and executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ejisu Constituency have staged a protest against a proposed open voting system for upcoming polling station elections, demanding secret ballots instead and warning that the dispute is fracturing the party at a critical period of reorganisation.
The protesters say regional party representatives had already directed that the elections use the Electoral Commission (EC) voters’ register and proceed by secret ballot to ensure transparency and protect participants from intimidation. They allege that the Ejisu Member of Parliament and his supporters have resisted that directive and are pushing for the party’s own membership register to be used as the electoral roll instead.
“Such a move could create resentment, frustration and apathy among party members,” one protester said.
The objection to the membership register centres on low turnout recorded during a recent party registration exercise across several polling stations in the constituency. Protesters argue that using only that register would effectively disenfranchise loyal supporters who did not participate in the exercise, handing an unfair advantage to those aligned with the MP’s camp.
The standoff has stalled the organisation of constituency polling station elections. Dominic Danquah, speaking at the demonstration, called on regional executives to step in, warning that the deepening divisions were threatening the NPP’s grassroots mobilisation effort at precisely the moment it is needed most, ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Constituency Chairman Kofi Ampofo sought to frame the protest as a call for internal fairness rather than a challenge to the MP’s position, stressing that those demonstrating had no intention of undermining the party’s representative in Parliament.
The internal row reflects wider tensions within the NPP as it works to rebuild its grassroots structures following its defeat in Ghana’s 2024 presidential election. How Ejisu’s regional executives respond to the impasse is likely to signal how seriously the party intends to manage its internal disputes during what is a sensitive period of political recovery.
