Joojo Rocky Obeng is a former Western North Regional Minister
Former Western North Regional Minister and Director of Elections for the Kennedy Agyapong campaign, Joojo Rocky Obeng, has urged the Ghana Police Service to seek support from other security agencies, including the military, if it cannot independently guarantee security for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primary scheduled for January 31, 2026.
Speaking on Ekosiisen on Asempa FM on Wednesday, January 7, Obeng stressed that election security for the exercise is critical, given the scale of the polls and the number of aspirants involved.
“Security for this election is very crucial. We, as a party, have our own basic internal security arrangements. But because we have several aspirants who will be protecting their interests and there will be several activities, that is why we’re engaging the Ghana Police Service to handle the bigger election security.”
Obeng said his advice was based on experience, having previously chaired a Regional Security Council. He explained that election security often requires a multi-agency approach.
“I have a little advice for the Ghana Police Service. I would like to advise or respectfully tell the Ghana Police Service that if need be, and they need the assistance of other security agencies to support them, they shouldn’t hesitate to do so.”
He recalled that in election situations, the Police typically lead an election security taskforce that brings together multiple agencies.
“As a former Regional Minister who has chaired a regional security council, when it comes to election security, there’s something called an election taskforce, where the Police invite the Immigration Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, or even the Ghana National Fire Service to assist them.”
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Obeng noted that the NPP primary will be held at 277 voting centres nationwide, a scale that requires careful assessment by the Police.
“This election is taking place in 277 centres. So, the Ghana Police Service and the IGP should carry out a good assessment because we do not want to experience any chaos, which is why we’ve handed over election security to them.”
He cautioned that if the Police lack sufficient personnel to cover all centres, they should formally activate a multi-agency security arrangement.
“If we are voting in 277 centres, which is not like a nationwide election, and they won’t have enough officers to provide security, then they should form an election taskforce by getting other sister security agencies to help them.”
While expressing confidence in the Police’s capacity, Obeng referenced recent security challenges to justify his caution.
“Nonetheless, I am also minded by the fact that this isn’t a national election that they cannot handle, but I am also minded by the fact that the Ablekuma constituency by-election in a few polling stations experienced a lot of issues.”
He explained that under normal circumstances he would not have offered such advice but felt compelled to do so given his experience.
“On a normal day, per the strength of the Ghana Police Service, I may not have even offered this advice. It’s just advice, and they can consider it coming from someone with experience in election security.”
Obeng stressed that responsibility for venue selection and security rests with state institutions.
“They should assess the situation because the venues we’re using have been decided by the Electoral Commission, and the policing is in the hands of the Ghana Police Service.”
Touching on the political climate, he said Kennedy Agyapong has consistently emphasised unity beyond the contest.
“Our candidate, Kennedy Agyapong, at his Ken National Praise event, emphasised unity after the January 31 election.”
He added that his campaign is confident going into the contest.
“We believe that he has secured the victory already, and the rest of the work is in the hands of the Ghana Police Service and the Electoral Commission.”
The NPP presidential primary on January 31 will feature four contenders: former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong, former Agric Minister Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and former MP Francis Addai-Nimoh. The winner will lead the party into the 2028 general election.
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