Confusion Galore At NPP Headquarters … Acting Chair Allegedly Side-Lined, …Treasurer Reportedly Petitions National Council

An investigation by The Chronicle has uncovered deepening cracks within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) national leadership, pointing to a growing power tussle that threatens to shake the party’s stability, ahead of its crucial internal and national decisions.

At the centre of the controversy is the alleged side-lining of the party’s First National Vice-Chairman, Dankwa Smith Butey, who, by constitutional hierarchy, should be acting as National Chairman, due to the ill health and effective absence of the substantive National Chairman, Stephen Ayensu Ntim.

Mr Stephen Ntim, known for his longstanding service to the NPP, has reportedly been battling ill health, with family sources confirming he is no longer in a condition to carry out the demanding responsibilities of his office.

According to internal party sources, the Chairman’s family has communicated concerns to the party, signalling his inability to continue in the role.

Per the NPP’s constitution and longstanding tradition, the First Vice-Chairman should step in as acting National Chairman, under such circumstances.

However, the individual who is supposed to occupy that position, Dankwa Smith Butey, has allegedly been side-lined, in what is described as a “calculated coup” by a powerful faction within the party’s top hierarchy.

The spark that ignited this growing rift was a letter dated July 5, 2025and signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong.

The letter, which was widely circulated to members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), summoned an emergency NEC meeting scheduled for Monday, July 7, 2025 at the party’s headquarters in Asylum Down.

Crucially, the letter stated that the meeting was “by the order of the National 2nd Chairperson, Madam Rita Talata Asobayire,” a move that has raised significant constitutional and ethical concerns, because originally the First Vice-Chairperson was supposed to call for the meeting.

According to the party’s own hierarchy, the Second Vice-Chairperson is not constitutionally mandated to assume the Chairperson’s role, in the absence or incapacitation of the substantive Chairman.

That responsibility falls squarely on the First Vice-Chairperson, who was reportedly not informed about the NEC meeting in advance.

Our intelligence sources confirm that the acting chairman was receiving medical treatment, when he got wind of the planned meeting. Outraged, he contacted a high-placed person in the party, demanding an explanation for the unauthorised move.

Sources told The Chronicle that a clique has emerged within the party headquarters, hence the going ‘feud’.

In a separate but equally controversial development, intelligence picked up by The Chronicle indicates that Dr. Charles Dwamena, the National Treasurer of the NPP, has petitioned the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) over what he considers an unconstitutional and procedurally flawed attempt to restructure the party’s internal financial oversight.

The issue revolves around Motion 38, one of the 54 motions adopted during the party’s National Delegates Conference on Saturday, July 19, 2025, held in Accra. While many of the motions aimed to reform constitutional and structural aspects of the party ahead of the 2028 elections have been well received, Motion 38 is being challenged.

The motion seeks to amend Articles 10(7)(3) and 10(8) of the party’s constitution to require the National Treasurer to report directly to the General Secretary, a significant shift from the current structure, where the Treasurer operates independently as one of the three core arms of the party’s National Headquarters.

Our sources also revealed that Dr Dwamena is resisting this move, arguing that the motion was not part of the circulated proposals ahead of the Conference. Many delegates reportedly only learned about it on the eve of, or during the Conference itself, leaving little time for proper scrutiny and debate.

Though details of the petition remain undisclosed, our sources say Dr Dwamena believes the motion seeks to collapse the independence of the Treasurer and place it under the General Secretary, who already oversees the National Secretariat the administrative wing of the party.

He is said to have cited both the party’s constitution and official records submitted to the Electoral Commission, which recognise the National Chairman, General Secretary and Treasurer, as heads of three distinct arms of the party: the Executive, the Secretariat and the Treasury.

There is growing concern that the implementation of Motion 38 could lead to conflicts of interest and weaken internal checks and balances, especially given that the General Secretary serves as a spending officer, while the Treasurer is responsible for managing the party’s finances and assets.

This emerging standoff adds to the growing list of leadership tensions within the NPP, coming at a time when unity and internal cohesion are seen as critical to the party’s future electoral prospects.

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