Former Ellembelle District Chief Executive and four-time NPP parliamentary candidate, Kwasi Bonzoh, has pulled a major upset in the Western Region by defeating the incumbent to become the new Regional Secretary.

The election was held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at Agona Nkwanta in the Ahanta West Constituency as part of a peaceful voting exercise by delegates from across the 17 constituencies in the Western Region.

Bonzoh’s victory comes after drama during the vetting process. He was initially disqualified by the Regional Vetting Committee over academic requirements but was cleared by the National Steering Committee of the party to contest.

On the day, Bonzoh polled 211 votes to beat Okatakyie Amankwa Afrifa, who had 157 votes. He will be deputised by Lawrence Kojo Appiah Takyi, who also won with 157 votes.

Speaking to the media after the election, Bonzoh expressed profound gratitude to the delegates for placing confidence in him.

“I’m most grateful to Almighty God for this victory. I use this medium to thank the delegates who voted for me and also thank my campaign team and supporters for their hard work towards my victory. I came to this contest as an underdog and I used seven days to tour the 17 constituencies because of my disqualification saga,” he stated.

He promised to work closely with other executives to recapture eleven parliamentary seats in 2028 in the region from the NDC.

“It is not good for NPP to have only two parliamentary seats in the Western Region, so I will work harder with other executives to win an additional nine seats to make it 11 seats. We will also help Dr Bawumia to become President in 2029,” he vowed.

He therefore called on the rank and file of the party to rally behind them to win the Western Region for Dr Bawumia.

Currently, the NPP holds Takoradi and Effia constituencies out of the 17 constituencies in the region.

Party officials and security agencies praised delegates for the peaceful conduct of the polls at Agona Nkwanta.

With the new leadership in place, the NPP in the Western Region says its immediate focus will be unity, grassroots mobilisation and expanding its parliamentary representation ahead of the 2028 elections.