Akufo-Addo Hails COKA as “Incoming Chairman” in Ashanti NPP Power Race

Akufo-Addo Hails COKA as “Incoming Chairman” in Ashanti NPP Power Race

Source: Justice BAFFOUR,www.dailywstchgh.com(managing editor,0246930931)

Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has sent shockwaves through the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after openly throwing his weight behind Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, in the contest for Ashanti Regional Chairman.

At the commissioning of a new NPP constituency office in Bantama on Friday, September 19, Akufo-Addo boldly referred to COKA as the “incoming chairman,” a remark that electrified the crowd and has been widely interpreted as a clear endorsement.

“It is now time for other Kumasi, Ashanti MPs and the incoming chairman, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, to do same,” Akufo-Addo charged, rallying the party faithful to unite ahead of internal polls.

The ceremony, graced by party heavyweights including former President John Agyekum Kufuor and Bantama MP Francis Asenso-Boakye, turned into more than just an office commissioning. It became a strategic show of force as the NPP gears up for reorganization after 2024.

COKA, a grassroots mobilizer and respected party operative, has long set his sights on the regional chairmanship. With Akufo-Addo’s public endorsement, his campaign now gains serious momentum in a race considered crucial for the NPP’s future.

The Ashanti Region, regarded as the party’s political heartbeat, is expected to determine not only internal leadership but also the strength of the NPP’s push to recapture power in 2028. The regional chair will command influence over delegate mobilization, campaign strategy, and party discipline.

Akufo-Addo did not miss the chance to take aim at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, branding their performance in office as “abysmal.” He urged NPP members to remain confident and campaign on the achievements of his administration as well as that of President Kufuor.

With the stakes this high, the Ashanti chairmanship contest is no longer just regional politics-it is a power struggle with national consequences.