Former CEO of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, has weighed in on the political debate surrounding regional strongholds in Ghana, asserting that simply selecting a presidential candidate from a particular region does not guarantee that region will become a party’s stronghold.
In a Facebook post sighted by MyNewsGh, Nkansah addressed the narrative that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) could turn the Volta Region into a stronghold by presenting a candidate from there.
He challenged that notion, emphasizing that regional political loyalty is not determined solely by the origin of a flagbearer.
“According to some people’s logic, NPP should be able to make Volta Region our stronghold once we present a candidate from Volta,” he wrote. “You will surely increase in votes there but can’t make that place your stronghold just by selecting a candidate from there.”
To support his point, Nkansah cited historical voting patterns across Ghana’s regions. He noted that the late President John Evans Atta Mills hailed from the Central Region but received strong support from the Volta Region, a traditional NDC stronghold. Similarly, President Nana Akufo-Addo, though from the Eastern Region, was heavily backed by the Ashanti Region, the stronghold of the NPP.
He further argued that party loyalty and structural strength matter more than candidate origin when it comes to securing electoral dominance in a region.
“Ashanti voted for Dr. Bawumia in 2024 and will vote massively for him again in 2028 when there is no apathy in our base,” he added.
