Manufacturing ages for party positions? How NPP aspirants for Youth Organiser positions were disqualified

In what appears to be a desperate scramble for internal party executive positions in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region, five (5) aspirants have been outrightly disqualified. They were found to have changed their dates of birth to qualify to contest in the party’s upcoming constituency election.  

From June 25 to 28, 2026, Constituency Executives Election Committees of the NPP in the Upper East Region vetted aspirants for the various constituency positions and disqualified some of them.

The disqualifications triggered a wave of petitions, with some seeking to overturn the decisions and others calling for the disqualification or qualification of various constituency executive aspirants.

In all, 13 aspirants vying for different positions appealed against their disqualifications, while one aspirant had three party members challenging his qualification.

The Constituency Elections Appeals Committee at the regional level, which handled the petitions, upheld some disqualifications and overturned others.

In the Bolgatanga East Constituency, the qualification of Desmond Agana to contest for the Youth Organiser position was reversed by the Appeals Committee. According to the Committee, the aspirant was found to have changed his date of birth from March 24, 1985 to March 24, 1987. This was to qualify him to meet the requirement of Article 15(2)1 of the NPP Constitution, which defines a youth as “a Member who has not attained the age of forty (40) years.”

The Appeals Committee stated in its report that Desmond Agana produced a voter ID card with the date of birth as March 24, 1987. When pressed further, he produced a gazette which he changed his age from March 24, 1985 to March 24, 1987 effective March 25, 2026.

“This Freudian slip on his part constituted the coupe de grace on the erased “5” on his Voter ID,” the Committee stated.    

The Appeals Committee further stated that “It is a tacit admission that the aspirant at all material time prior to the contest knew that he was unqualified by age as he is now 41 years.”

The Committee further said the Constituency Election Committee was misled and deceived by the aspirant as a result of a super imposition of the figure “7” on “5”, and thus reversed his qualification.

At the time of this publication, The Fourth Estate was not successful in its attempt to contact Mr Agana.

In Garu, the Constituency Executives Election Committee disqualified Norbert Mbilla on the grounds that he altered his date of birth. His disqualification was also upheld by the Appeals Committee.

After providing grounds for its decision, the Committee stated that “It is clear that the age of the aspirant is 42 years, and the Constituency Election Committee for Garu was right in disqualifying the aspirant from contesting as a Youth Organiser for Garu Constituency. The disqualification is therefore upheld by this Committee.”

Next was Mansakya Kuug, Youth Organiser aspirant for Talensi Constituency. After reviewing the documents provided by the aspirant, including his statutory declaration for change of date of birth and Voter ID card, the Appeals Committee concluded that the aspirant knew that his age does not allow him to contest for the Youth Organiser position; hence, the step he took in order for him to be qualified.

“The Talensi Constituency Executives Elections Committee was right in disqualifying the Aspirant on grounds of he being a person not below the age of Forty (40) years,” the Committee stated, adding that “As a result, he is a person not qualifiedto contest for the position of the Constituency Youth Organiser and this Committee affirms the decision of the Constituency Executives Elections Committee.”

In an tinterview with The Fourth Estate, Mr Kuug confirmed his disqualification but said he disagrees with the Appeals Committee on its grounds for his disqualification.  

Simon Awuni Akupah of the Bolgatanga Central Constituency is said to be 43 years old, which is above the requirement of Article 15(2)(1) of the Party’s Constitution, which states that he must be less than 40 years old. After reviewing his Ghana card, SSNIT card and Voter ID card, the Committee stated “Though the Aspirant blames his late father for his inflated age, all the three official documents were registered long after his noble father’s demise.”

According to the Committee, Mr Akupah’s sudden change of date of birth was obviously to pull a fast one on the Constituency Executives Elections Committee, which rightly disqualified him in the circumstances.

Therefore, the Committee upheld the verdict of the Constituency Elections Committee. “This Committee is satisfied that the basis for the disqualification of Simon Awuni Akupah is justified and same is upheld,” it stated.

When The Fourth Estate contacted Mr Akupah, he admitted that his documents on his date of birth did not align, affirming the basis on which the committee disqualified him.

In the Nabdam Constituency, the qualification of Solomon Soore Yenbila as Youth Organiser aspirant was set aside by the Appeals Committee. After reviewing Mr Yenbila’s documents including Ghana card, SSNIT card and EC Voter ID card, the Committee established that the changes he made to alter his date of birth did not align with the other documents he submitted; hence, the setting aside of his qualification.

The Fourth Estate contacted Mr Yenbila and he confirmed he was indeed disqualified by the Appeals Committee after the Constituency Elections Committee qualified him to contest. He said, “I know I was disqualified unfairly.”

“They [the Constituency Elections Committee] even had to input our details [in a system] and the details could either qualify you or disqualify you,” he said, stressing that “When they entered my voter ID enter, I was qualified. And that is how come they qualified me, and we even did balloting, and I chose number 3.”

Mr Mbila told The Fourth Estate he was disqualified because he relied on his Ghana card which has his real date of birth, while the party relied on his voter ID card which has a different date. “With the voter ID card, some of us were pushed to go and register without even knowing our age”, he said. “So, it was 2019 that I did my Ghana card with the real age which is 87 [1987]. Yet, they refused and said they are going to consider the voter ID card.”

Unlike in the aforementioned cases where the disqualifications came with reasons, there were no reasons for the disqualifications of three aspirants in the Binduri Constituency. They are Moses Atogsi, First Vice Chairman aspirant, Vida Atubiga, the incumbent Women’s Oganiser who was aspiring for the same position, and Salam Dahamani, Communications aspirant.

The Fourth Estate has learned that even when Madam Atubiga indicated she had evidence to counter the allegations used to disqualify her at the constituency level, the Appeals Committee appeared unprepared to hear her evidence. The Committee simply upheld her disqualification. 

In the case of Issah William, aspirant for the position of First Vice Chairman in the Binduri Constituency, the Appeals Committee said the Constituency Executive Elections Committee did not have evidence to justify his disqualification. The Committee said the evidence the aspirant submitted before it was sufficient for it to overturn his disqualification.

The Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP, Anthony Namoo, confirmed the decisions of the Appeals Committee to The Fourth Estate. He, however, said for security reasons, he could not offer explanations for the disqualifications of aspirants from Binduri. 

In the Builsa South Constituency, the Appeals Committee overturned the disqualifications of all four aspirants. They are Agalisi Gideon for Youth Organiser position; Christopher Amotuem, Deputy Secretary; Awianab Francis, Constituency Organiser; and Atibil Ajuik, Second Vice Chairman.  

In the Chiana/Paga Constituency, Ayivere Wedam, Adimena Austin and Adoliwine Adams sought the disqualification of Braimah Harisu, an Aspirant for the position of Constituency Chairman. The basis of their petition was that, on April 9, 2024, he tendered his resignation letter to the Constituency Chairman as a member of the party. 

But the Appeals Committee stated that during its engagement with the petitioners, their attention was drawn to the fact that on April 17, 2024, Braimah Harisu had written a letter rescinding his decision to resign through the intervention of the regional leadership of the party. The Committee also said the conduct of Harisu during relevant periods did not portray him as someone who had resigned from the party.

“During the 31st December, 2026 Presidential Primaries, Harisu took part openly in the campaign and also voted without anybody challenging his membership,” the Appeals Committee indicated, indicating the aspirant was, therefore, qualified to contest.  

The constituency election of the NPP is slated for Saturday July 11, 2026.