The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has urged the newly elected regional chairmen to work strategically with the flagbearer and former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as the New Patriotic Party (NPP) prepares for the 2028 elections.

Speaking on Peace FM's Kokroko monitored by GhanaWeb on August 18, 2026, he said he expects chairmen of Eastern, Central, Greater Accra and Ashanti regions to form a strong bond with Dr Bawumia.

“I expect that from what we saw on Saturday, Eastern Region, Central, Greater Accra and Ashanti will form a pact with the flagbearer. I am expecting a certain bond with the flagbearer, that they will engage with Dr Bawumia strategically,” he said.

According to him, the four regions will be crucial to the NPP’s chances of regaining power in 2028 because of their electoral significance.

“We need these four because Greater Accra is the most populated region, Central is also key in determining the outcome of presidential elections, and Eastern Region is our base. But in 2024, we did not perform well,” he said.

The Member of Parliament for Effutu said the NPP must also take advantage of the influence of key party figures in the regions, particularly in the Eastern Region and Ashanti Regions.

“We must use the Bryan factor. His impact in the Eastern Region cannot be taken for granted. He is a force and the region can rally around him, we can also use NAPO in the Ashanti Region", he said.

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Afenyo-Markin also cautioned the party executives relying on ego or internal competition, stressing the need for its regional structures to focus on maximising votes.

“Ego will not give us power. Let us draw around our strength and harvest every vote,” he said.

Turning to the Greater Accra Region, Afenyo-Markin said the NPP must adopt a strategic approach to improve its performance in the region, which has the largest population and a significant share of the country’s electorate.

He said the party could target winning 20 of the 34 parliamentary seats in the region by understanding the dynamics of individual constituencies and working with influential party figures.

“We can do 20 out of the 34 seats, rallying behind Okoe Boye to make an impact, identifying constituency dynamics and getting the cities right,” he said.

Afenyo-Markin also praised Chairman COKA, describing him as a hardworking and loyal member of the party who could contribute to the NPP’s efforts alongside senior figures such as Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh widely known as NAPO.

His comments come after the NPP held its regional executive elections on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with new chairmen elected in some regions and incumbents retaining their positions.

The four regional chairmen at the centre of Afenyo-Markin’s expectations are Dr Bernard Okoe Boye of Greater Accra, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah of Ashanti, Jeff Konadu Addo of Eastern Region and Joseph Kobinah Esibu of Central Region.

JKB/VPO

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