'No more jokes, it’s time to reclaim our lost seats' - COKA on NPP chairmanship bid

The aspiring Ashanti Regional Chairman for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA (Asanteman Koka), has declared that the era of political jokes and empty rhetoric is over. He said it was time to instil disciplined, action-oriented administration that will focus on uniting the party and reclaiming lost parliamentary seats in the region.

COKA made these declarations in Kumasi after he had successfully passed through the party’s regional executive vetting process, where he secured the Number 1 slot on the upcoming election ballot paper.

Addressing the media and his supporters after his vetting success, COKA outlined his strategic vision for the Ashanti Region, emphasising that his tenure will prioritise grassroots empowerment and hard work to maximise the party’s electoral fortunes ahead of the 2028 general elections.

"My vision is to build a strong and united party. I am ready to lead the Ashanti Region with less talk and more action. Less noise and more progress. Less speeches and more work. Less jokes and more work. It is time for real, results-driven labour." He declared.

The Chairman hopeful expressed profound gratitude to a dedicated coalition of party supporters and grassroots who voluntarily pooled resources to pick up and submit his nomination forms on his behalf. He noted that while he had personally filed his documents in previous contests, the decision of the grassroots to handle the process this time around indicates a spirited and collective hunger for a new, serious leadership direction in the region.

COKA stressed that his leadership model is built on absolute inclusivity, pledging that under his administration, ordinary party workers will be valued, and decisions will be made collectively.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we are going to work together. We will decide together. We will think together. We will enjoy together, and we will suffer together. We are going to protect and defend our party's constitution together." He said.

COKA further observed that the current status of the party in the region does not reflect its true potential, urging members to work relentlessly to win back parliamentary seats that were lost to the opposition in previous elections.

"Where we are today is not where we intend to be as a party. The primary purpose of a political party is to win and sustain political power.

"I am coming to lead so that we can do everything legally possible to dramatically increase our presidential votes and win back our lost parliamentary seats, and secure a landslide victory in the 2028 general elections." He said.

COKA assured delegates and the national leadership of his commitment to keeping the internal elections highly peaceful, ethical, and focused strictly on developmental ideas. He urged his competitors and their supporters to refrain from personal attacks and focus on policies that will build the party.

"I am ready to run a clean campaign, a respectful campaign, and an idea-based campaign," he assured.

He concluded by sending a strong warning to the rival National Democratic Congress (NDC), stating that the NPP’s regional machinery, under his future chairmanship, would be highly vigilant, proactive, and fully prepared to dismantle any political tricks or strategies aimed at undermining the NPP's dominance in the Ashanti Region.