A Sunyani High Court has temporarily suspended the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) Sunyani East Constituency executive elections, scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Pastoral Centre.
The court granted a 10-day interlocutory injunction following an application filed by two party members, Maxwell Mahama and Prince Baidoo Worae, effectively putting the electoral process on hold pending the determination of the substantive case.
“It is hereby ordered that the defendants, their agents, assigns, privies, and anyone claiming through them are restrained from conducting the Sunyani East Constituency Executive Committee Elections of the 2nd Defendant scheduled for 11th and 12th July 2026, pending the determination of this suit,” the order, signed by Justice Winnie Amoatey-Owusu, partly said.
Growing tensions
The legal action follows growing tensions within the Sunyani East branch of the NPP over the disqualification of five aspirants seeking various constituency executive positions.
Among those disqualified are former Constituency Chairman, Frank Musa Damtarl, who is seeking to reclaim the chairmanship, and former Constituency Communications Officer, Maxwell Mahama, who is contesting for the position of Constituency Secretary.
The affected aspirants were reportedly disqualified on various grounds, including allegations of insulting former Sunyani East Member of Parliament, Kwasi Ameyaw-Cheremeh, some time ago.
The disqualified aspirants challenged the decision before the Constituency Appeals Committee, chaired by Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh. However, the committee upheld the decision of the Constituency Vetting Committee, further deepening divisions within the constituency.
Following the unsuccessful appeal, Maxwell Mahama petitioned the party’s National Steering Committee to overturn the decision. However, as of the time of filing this report – approximately 72 hours before the scheduled elections – the committee had not issued a ruling, prompting the applicants to seek redress in court.
The court’s intervention has intensified debate among party members, with some questioning the basis for the disqualification of the affected aspirants.
One polling station executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the reasons for the disqualifications as “flawed” and expressed concern about the party’s preparedness to regain the Sunyani East parliamentary seat from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Awkward decision
“The posture of the NPP in Sunyani East does not tell me that they are serious about recapturing the parliamentary seat lost to the NDC in the last elections. I consider the reasons for the disqualification of some of the contestants as awkward, laughable and unfortunate,” the executive said.
He said he does not see any scintilla of sense in the decision to disqualify anyone on the grounds which had already been dealt with through an amnesty granted by the National Office of the party on August 16, 2025.
The executive also questioned the appointment of Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh as chairman of the Appeals Committee, alleging that the former MP’s involvement created perceptions of bias.
Personal scores
“I find the selection of Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh as chairman of the party’s Appeals Committee questionable. It appears he is using longstanding grievances against some party members to settle personal scores,” the source alleged.
Another constituency delegate urged the party leadership to avoid actions that could deepen internal divisions ahead of future elections.
“Just as the late J.H. Mensah served as MP for Sunyani East and peacefully handed over to Mr. Ameyaw-Cheremeh, he too must recognise that leadership is a continuum and allow others the opportunity to serve. The party does not belong to any individual,” the delegate stated.
