A group calling itself “Concerned Members of NPP-USA External Branch” has issued a sharp rejoinder to online publications by Theophilus Nkansah of the NPP Massachusetts Chapter, describing his claims about revised election guidelines as “malicious,” “misleading,” and “full of lies.”
The rejoinder, circulated Tuesday, responds to three specific assertions made by Nkansah in recent posts that accused General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua, Esq. of disenfranchising over 600 dues-paying members and imposing unfair rules on the U.S. branch.
“No Platform to Reject Guidelines”
First, the group rejected Nkansah’s claim that “NPP-USA members had rejected the revised election guidelines.”
“There has been no platform by NPP-USA or a meeting of NPP-USA members where the members were accorded the privilege of sharing their opinion on the election guidelines,” the statement reads. “This assertion can only be described as a malicious lie or a figment of the author’s imagination.”
On Who Sets Election Rules
Second, the concerned members pushed back on the claim that the General Secretary was “disenfranchising over 600 voters.” They said the statement shows “a clear misunderstanding on the part of the author on the protocols and structure of the New Patriotic Party.”
“The General Secretary as the chief scribe of the New Patriotic Party does not dictate election guidelines,” the rejoinder states, citing Article 10(4)(1) of the party constitution. “The National Executive Committee acting for and on behalf of the National Council… considers and approves election guidelines for the party and not just NPP-USA. The General Secretary just communicates the recommendations to the members of the party.”
The group stressed that “NPP-USA is not an island within the party” and that the guidelines are issued to ensure “fairness, transparency and equity for all the members of the party both in Ghana and for all external branches.”
“To interpret streamlined guidelines in the interest of the National Party’s cohesion as a machination of the Party General Secretary is very unfortunate,” they added.
On Dues and Bank Accounts
The third point addressed Nkansah’s phrase that “Kodua cashed our dues, then killed our votes.” The rejoinder said NPP-USA member dues “are not controlled or directed by the party General Secretary.”
Citing Article 8(4) of the NPP Constitution, the group said “the NPP-USA dictates and levies the NPP-USA members based on the NPP-USA guidelines and also operates its own bank accounts independent of the mother party.”
“To assert that the General Secretary collected dues from NPP-USA members and disenfranchised the members is not only false and disingenuous but also puts NPP-USA in a bad light with the mother party,” the statement reads.
*Warning of “Downward Chaos”*
The concerned members called Nkansah’s assertions a “dangerous precedent” for the external branch and said they believe his comments are “underpinned by self-serving interest emanating from the current political climate that the party finds itself in.”
“If this development remains unchecked, we risk seeing the NPP-USA Branch spiraling into downward chaos,” the rejoinder warned.
They called on NPP-USA leadership to address the issue and “condemn these reckless comments by Mr. Theophilus Nkansah in no uncertain terms and to assure all members that a great task is given to us as an external branch by the party.”
“These disparaging and repugnant comments have no place in our body politic,” the statement concluded. It was signed, “We remain CITIZENS! Concerned Members of NPP-USA External Branch.”
*Context*
The rejoinder comes after Nkansah, known as Senator Theo, published an open letter criticizing revised election guidelines approved at the party’s April 8 NEC meeting. That letter claimed the new rules raised the voting threshold from one year to two years, disqualifying over 600 members, while lowering the contesting threshold from four years to two years.
Nkansah’s letter described the changes as “taxation without representation” and accused the General Secretary of applying a double standard compared to rules for members in Ghana.
As of publication, the official leadership of NPP-USA has not issued a separate statement on either Nkansah’s letter or the rejoinder from the concerned members. The Office of the General Secretary has also not publicly commented on the dispute.
The exchange underscores growing debate within the diaspora branch over how national election guidelines should apply to external branches ahead of upcoming internal polls.
