Newly elected Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, has taken the first major step towards uniting the party by visiting his main contender, Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, after his decisive victory in the regional elections.

The meeting, held at Dr Kokofu’s residence in Kumasi, formed part of efforts by the newly elected chairman to reconcile members and bring together all sides of the party ahead of the 2028 general elections.

COKA secured 663 votes in Saturday’s election to defeat Dr Kokofu, who polled 269 votes.

Speaking during the meeting on Sunday August 16, 2026, COKA said the NPP could only regain power if its members put their differences aside and work together.

“If we will need power, there must be unity. Creating a united party was part of my campaign because without unity, we can’t win power,” he said.

He added that his reconciliation efforts would begin immediately, urging all members to forgive one another and work towards rebuilding the party.

“In seeking unity, I had to start from here, so I will plead that we all forgive each other of all wrongdoings and work to bring the party to power,” COKA stated.

The new chairman said his administration would promote collective leadership and reconciliation from the polling station level through to the regional office.

Dr Henry Kokofu, a former Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), welcomed the gesture and pledged to support the new regional leadership.

He said the winner of the election had a responsibility to extend an invitation to all members, adding that COKA’s visit was an important step towards achieving unity.

“For us now, the vehicle is unity. He, as the winner and victor, has a huge responsibility to extend the hands of invitation. He has just done that, perfect,” Dr Kokofu said.

He explained that although he was unable to reach COKA by phone to congratulate him immediately after the election, he sent him a message congratulating him on his victory.

“You are welcome to the seat. It is not an easy task, but with all of us around, we have to succeed,” he added.

The meeting was attended by some regional executives and party members.

COKA has since called on NPP members to put the internal contest behind them and focus on rebuilding the party’s structures and reclaiming parliamentary seats lost to the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The unity drive comes amid concerns over the NPP’s performance in the Ashanti Region in the 2024 general elections, where the party lost 10 of the region’s 47 parliamentary seats to the NDC.

The meeting between the two contenders is therefore being seen as a significant beginning to the reconciliation process as the Ashanti NPP prepares for the 2028 elections.