The largest opposition political party in Ghana, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), held its 2025 Annual National Delegates Conference on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at the University of Ghana Sports Stadium in Accra.
The conference, which brought together about 5,000 delegates from across the country, focused primarily on approving amendments to the NPP Constitution.
The proposed amendments were based on recommendations from a 9-member committee established following the Professor Mike Oquaye Report, which examined the factors behind the party’s poor performance in the 2024 elections.
In total, 56 amendments were presented to the delegates, out of which 54 were approved and 2 rejected.
Key among the approved amendments are new provisions that will significantly impact the party’s internal election processes.
Notably, the changes expand the number of delegates eligible to vote in the party’s primaries to elect presidential and parliamentary candidates.
Below are the amendments:
Motion 14:
Amendment of articles 8 & 13(11) of the Constitution to specifically provide that all former and current executives of the External Branches shall have voting rights at the Presidential Primaries.
The NPP said that the amendment expands the electoral college for the Presidential Primaries to promote inclusivity and broader participation, adding that the move was in line with the proposed “limited expansion.”
Motion 28:
Amendment of articles 10(2)(3)(e) & 13 of the Constitution to make all members of the National Council of Elders delegates at the National Delegates Conference and the Presidential Primaries.
This move also expands the number of people who take part in the election of the party’s presidential candidates.
Motion 32:
Amendment of article 10(3)(2)(d) of the Constitution to expressly provide that Chairpersons of Standing Committees and Directors at the Party Headquarters shall have voting rights at the National Council and consequently vote in the Presidential Primaries.
Motion 43:
Amendment of the Constitution by inserting a new provision to provide that National Officers, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, CEOs and other government appointees who file to contest to become a Parliamentary Candidate of the Party in a Constituency with a sitting Member of Parliament shall resign their positions at least twelve (12) months to the National General Elections.
Motion 44:
Amendment of articles 12 & 13 of the Constitution and insert a new provision to grant voting rights to former Members of Parliament, former Parliamentary Candidates, former Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), former Ministers, former Deputy Ministers who are card-bearing members of the Party at the Parliamentary and Presidential Primaries.
Motion 45:
Amendment of articles 12 & 13 of the Constitution and insert a new provision to grant voting rights to former Constituency Executives, former Regional Executives at the Parliamentary and Presidential Primaries.
Motion 46:
Amendment of article 13(1)(6) of the Constitution to provide that National Officers, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, CEOs and other government appointees who file to become the Presidential Candidate of the Party shall resign their positions at least twenty-four (24) months to the National General Elections.
Motion 47:
Amendment of article 13(1)(9) of the Constitution to completely abolish the Special Electoral College/Super Delegates System.
Motion 48:
Amendment of article 13(4) of the Constitution to provide for the election of a Presidential Candidate when the Party is in government to a date not later than eighteen (18) months instead of eleven (11) months before the National General Elections.
Motion 49:
Amendment of article 13(11) to grant voting rights to five (5) members of the Constituency Council of Elders and ten (10) members of the Regional Council of Elders at the Presidential Primaries.
Motion 50:
Amendment of article 13(11) of the Constitution to include thirty (30) National Patrons and all Members of the National Council of Elders to be part of the Presidential Primaries.
Motion 51:
Amendment of article 13(11) to grant voting rights to five (5) Constituency Patrons and ten (10) Regional Patrons at the Presidential Primaries.
Motion 52:
Amendment of article 13(11) to grant voting rights to one (1) TESCON Patron from every recognised tertiary institution at the Presidential Primaries.
Motion 4:
Amendment of article 5(6) of the Constitution to adopt the Electoral Commission of Ghana’s demarcation/cluster of Electoral Areas.
The party explained that the EC’s “Electoral Area systems are pre-determined, bereft of controversies and involve more polling stations than the party’s demarcations of Electoral Area” and “cures any such misunderstanding or perceived mischief.”
Motion 5:
Amendment of article 6 of the Constitution to provide for an Electoral Area Executive Committee structure made up of five (5) members who shall all be elected, comprising the Electoral Area Chairperson, Secretary, Organiser, Communications Officer and Electoral Affairs Officer.
The party explained that “The current system requires limited expansion to allow for increased participation and support in the management of the electoral areas. A 5-member Committee enhances operational capacity and ensures a more inclusive and structured approach to supervising polling station activities.”
Motion 12:
Amendment of article 7(27) of the Constitution to give voting rights to National and Regional Officers at the Constituency Delegates Conference at the Constituency they hail from.
The party states that this amendment strengthens the connections between these Officers and the respective Constituencies they hail from and is also geared towards the proposed limited expansion of the electoral college pending the “OMOV system.”
It is instructive to note that it is not clear whether these approved constitutional amendments will affect the party’s upcoming presidential primaries, which are scheduled for January 2026.
Members of the party who spoke to GhanaWeb on the January 2026 presidential primaries were divided on it being affected by the new changes, which have expanded the number of people who are to take part in the internal election.
Watch videos from the conference below:
BAI/MA
Watch the latest episode of Health Focus below:
Watch the latest episode of BizTech below:
