New Patriotic Party General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua has firmly dismissed suggestions that his previous electoral contest with John Boadu could create difficulties in their working relationship, insisting that there is no disagreement between the two senior figures of the opposition party.
Mr Kodua made the clarification after John Boadu, a former General Secretary of the NPP, was elected National Chairman at the party’s National Delegates Conference held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, October 3, 2026. Mr Kodua was also retained as General Secretary after securing 4,486 votes in the fiercely contested election.
The emergence of Mr Boadu as National Chairman has attracted attention because of his earlier contest with Mr Kodua for the General Secretary position at the NPP’s 2022 National Delegates Conference. Mr Kodua prevailed in that contest, defeating Mr Boadu and subsequently taking charge of the party’s administrative machinery.
Four years later, however, the two politicians find themselves occupying two of the most influential positions within the party’s national executive structure, with Mr Boadu now serving as National Chairman and Mr Kodua continuing as General Secretary.
Addressing concerns that their previous rivalry could affect their ability to collaborate, Mr Kodua maintained that neither politician had ever publicly declared an unwillingness to work with the other.
“JB never stood anywhere and said that he cannot work with me. Likewise, I never stood anywhere and said I cannot work with JB,” he said.
According to the NPP General Secretary, speculation about possible tensions between the two men largely reflects the assumptions of outsiders rather than any actual disagreement between them.
He stressed that both politicians were sufficiently experienced and politically mature to place the collective interests of the NPP above the outcome of their previous internal contest.
“So there shouldn’t be any problem. People are entitled to make their own assumptions and to make their own estimations. But for us, we don’t have any issue. We are all mature politicians,” Mr Kodua stated.
His comments come as the NPP begins a fresh organisational phase under a new national executive team following the party’s latest internal elections. Mr Boadu secured 2,888 votes to win the National Chairmanship, defeating former Energy Minister Boakye Kyerematen Agyarko, who obtained 2,408 votes. Former National Chairman Paul Afoko received 790 votes, while Samuel Kenneth Adolphus Ben Crabbe secured 41 votes.
Mr Kodua subsequently retained the General Secretary position with a commanding 4,486 votes, ahead of Sylvester Tetteh, who obtained 1,340 votes, Eugene Boakye Antwi, who recorded 162 votes, and Dr Charles Dwamena, who received 129 votes according to the Ghana News Agency’s report.
With the leadership contest now concluded, Mr Kodua said the attention of the newly constituted executive should shift away from internal competition and towards the broader objective of rebuilding the party and positioning it for the 2028 general election.
He said the incoming leadership shared a common political objective, particularly the effort to support the party’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in the next presidential contest.
“We all have a common agenda, which is to make Dr Mahamudu Bawumia the president of Ghana in 2029. And we are focused,” he added.
Mr Kodua further expressed confidence that Mr Boadu, together with the newly elected national executives, would be capable of establishing an effective working relationship with the General Secretary’s office as the party prepares for the next national election.
The new executive team is expected to oversee the NPP’s organisational and political activities for the next four years, with the party seeking to rebuild its structures and regain political power in the 2028 general election.
Mr Boadu, in his acceptance speech, also called for unity within the party and extended an invitation for cooperation to his fellow contestants, signalling an emphasis on collective action as the NPP begins its preparations for the next electoral cycle.
