Nana Akomea, a leading figure of the New Patriotic Party, has explained the circumstances surrounding the party’s decision not to accede to a request from former President John Agyekum Kufuor to postpone the upcoming National Delegates Conference.
According to Nana Akomea, the decision was not a matter of disregard or disrespect to the former President, but rather one of unavoidable logistical limitations.
“He had requested that the National Delegates Conference be moved from Saturday, July 19, to a date in August when he expects to be back in the country. When the National Council met, President Kufuor’s letter was read. It was considered. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to accept his request”.
Nana Akomea
The primary reason, he explained, was the timing of the request and the complex logistics already in place.
“It simply came in a bit late. All the arrangements had been made for the delegates’ conference. We are looking at 6,000 party members from across the country coming to Accra. The planning processes had already been completed.”
Nana Akomea
The venue, the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, had been secured for the July 19 conference. Nana Akomea stressed that postponing the event would have triggered a logistical crisis, especially given the commitments and contracts already executed. “Payments had already been made for the venue, accommodation, catering—the whole conference,” he said.
He further elaborated on the challenge of securing suitable accommodation for thousands of attendees, noting that rooms had already been booked at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Valley View University, and Anagkazo Bible & Ministry Training Centre.
These facilities were made available largely because university students were on vacation. Nana Akomea explained that a postponement to August would mean contending with the possibility of students returning to campus and the venues no longer being available.
“With UPSA, we secured nearly 2,000 rooms because the second and third-year students are currently on break. We couldn’t guarantee that by the end of August, they’d still be out of school. The same applies to Valley View University and Anagkazo, which is apparently a very busy venue for church events.”
Nana Akomea
Nana Akomea also pointed out that the University of Ghana Sports Stadium, the main venue for the conference, would not be available in August once the football league resumes.
Impossible to Reschedule Conference
These factors, he emphasised, made it practically impossible to reschedule without significantly disrupting preparations. The decision was not taken lightly, according to Nana Akomea, especially given former President Kufuor’s stature and role in the party.
However, he noted that the party’s Planning Committee, led by Joseph Osei-Owusu—popularly known as Joe Wise, a former MP for Bekwai and First Deputy Speaker—had been working diligently for weeks before the request was received.
“If the request had come in a bit earlier, we could have considered it. But by the time it came, the Planning Committee had been working for two to three weeks, and critical payments and bookings had already been made.”
Nana Akomea
Despite the inability to accommodate the former President’s request, Nana Akomea made it clear that the party holds him in the highest regard. “President Kufuor is a statesman and a pillar of our party. This was not about a lack of respect but purely logistical constraints,” he emphasized.
The explanation comes as the party gears up for a crucial National Delegates Conference at a time when internal unity and public perception are both under the microscope.
Nana Akomea’s defence of the party’s decision is meant to settle any lingering unease and make clear that while former President Kufuor’s absence from the event is regrettable, the decision to proceed as planned was based on practicality rather than preference. The delegates’ conference will therefore go ahead on July 19 as originally scheduled.
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