I gave each NPP delegate GH¢400 for transport - Nana Akomea
Newly elected New Patriotic Party (NPP) Third National Vice Chairman Nana Akomea has disclosed that his campaign team gave each delegate GH¢400 to cover transportation during his five-week campaign for the position.
According to him, the decision was taken because many delegates had to travel considerable distances to meet candidates, with some travelling to designated centres serving several constituencies.
"I gave GH¢400 to them as transport each," he said.
Nana Akomea cited the journey between Kintampo and Atebubu, which he said could take about three and a half hours, noting that transport in such areas "is not the easiest".
Speaking on Joy News' PM Express programme on Monday, October 6, 2026, a day after the NPP's National Delegates Conference at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, he said some delegates appeared to expect higher amounts.
He said he interpreted such reactions as a possible indication that another candidate had offered them more money, adding that some candidates might have given delegates GH¢300 as transport.
Asked whether he was outspent by his opponents, Nana Akomea said: "It is possible. And it is also possible that I also outspent somebody."
He explained that there was no way any candidate could have "an adequate war chest for an election".
Nana Akomea said he had not yet calculated his total campaign expenditure because receipts were still being compiled. The final cost, he said, would cover fuel, hotel accommodation and food for himself and members of his campaign team.
Campaign without posters or T-shirts
Nana Akomea said his campaign was deliberately different from the conventional approach adopted in internal party elections, as he did not use posters, banners, T-shirts, caps or billboards.
"I did not have a poster. I did not have a banner. I did not have a t-shirt, caps, nothing," he said.
He described the strategy as an experiment aimed at testing whether he could win the election "without too much paraphernalia".
According to him, he entered the race relatively late after nominations opened following the regional elections, leaving him approximately five weeks to campaign across the country.
Rather than travelling with large convoys, Nana Akomea said he moved around with a small team in a single four-wheel-drive vehicle.
He claimed that some of his opponents travelled with five-car convoys and advance teams, resulting in instances where delegates mistook his vehicle for an advance car.
"It is not the caps that vote, it is the message and how they receive the message," he said.
Disappointed with third-place finish
Nana Akomea secured 2,981 votes to finish third in the contest for the three national vice chairmanship positions.
He admitted that the outcome fell short of his expectations, saying he had hoped to finish either first or second.
"It disappointed me a little," he said.
He nevertheless noted that the leading four candidates were separated by relatively narrow margins.
Nana Akomea said he did not place much importance on opinion polls that had positioned him among the leading contenders ahead of the election.
He also described the conference as largely orderly, saying there was little acrimony among the candidates and "not a lot of open vote buying that you would see at such big elections".
The election marked his first competitive partisan contest since 2012. He previously served as the Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South.
Focus shifts to 2028
Asked whether he would consider contesting another internal NPP election, Nana Akomea said his immediate priority was to help the party prepare for the 2028 general election.
He pledged to support the NPP's presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, a former Vice-President.
Why Nana Akomea missed swearing-in
Nana Akomea also explained why he was absent when the newly elected national executives were sworn into office at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium following the elections.
He said heavy traffic around the venue delayed his arrival and he reached the stadium about 10 minutes after the ceremony had ended.
As a result, he could not take the oath alongside the other executives.
He said the newly elected national officers were expected to hold their first meeting the following day, where he would be formally sworn into office.