The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region has reopened nominations for the position of Regional Youth Organiser after both original aspirants were disqualified for failing to satisfy the party’s constitutional age requirement, bringing weeks of controversy over the race to an abrupt end.
In a notice issued on July 26, 2026, the Upper East Regional Executive Elections Committee announced that fresh nominations would be received from July 26 to July 27, between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., at the Regional Party Office.
The committee said the decision became necessary because both previous aspirants failed to meet the constitutional requirement that candidates seeking the office of Regional Youth Organiser must be below 40 years of age.
The latest development marks a dramatic reversal in a contest that had been dominated by an age eligibility dispute involving Samuel Akumbo Awintariba aka Wakiki, and Jonathan Abugre, popularly known as “Contempt.”
The controversy first erupted after Samuel Akumbo Awintariba was initially disqualified over questions surrounding his age, prompting an appeal to the party’s Appeals Committee.
The committee subsequently ruled that both Mr. Awintariba and Jonathan Abugre were qualified to contest, a decision that temporarily appeared to settle the dispute.
However, the Regional Executive Elections Committee has now reached a different conclusion, stating in its latest notice that both aspirants failed to satisfy the constitutional age requirement, effectively nullifying the earlier contest and reopening nominations to all eligible members.
The decision resets the race for one of the party’s most influential regional executive positions, with the committee inviting party members below the age of 40 to pick and file nomination forms within the stipulated period.
The development also comes against the backdrop of a broader national debate within the NPP over the definition of youth.
At the party’s National Delegates Conference in 2025, delegates rejected a proposal to reduce the youth age ceiling from 40 to 35 years, leaving the constitutional age limit unchanged.
The Regional Executive Elections Committee has urged all interested and qualified party members to take advantage of the reopened nomination window, signalling that the party intends to strictly enforce its constitutional provisions governing youth leadership positions.
With nominations now reopened, attention is expected to shift to whether new aspirants emerge before the deadline and how the unexpected reset could influence the NPP’s regional executive elections in the Upper East Region.
Below is the release:
Source: bolgafmonline.com|102.7 MHz|Bolgatanga
