Accra: Former Ellembelle District Chief Executive, Kwasi Bonzoh, has submitted a Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration to challenge his disqualification from contesting the NPP Western Regional Secretary position. In an appeal letter dated July 22, 2026, to the Regional Appeals Committee, Kwasi Bonzoh stated that the Western Regional Elections Committee disqualified him on July 21 for not meeting the 'minimum educational qualification' following a petition filed by Fred Appiah-Kubi, Youth Organiser for Essikadu-Ketan Constituency.
According to Ghana Web, the committee cited Article 16(f) of the 2026 Regional Elections Guidelines, which mandates that a candidate for the Regional Secretary position must possess at least a first degree or a higher academic qualification. In his appeal, Bonzoh acknowledged submitting an incomplete transcript for his first degree but contended that the guidelines allow for a higher academic qualification as an alternative. To support his case, he attached a Postgraduate Certificate in Business Administration from Nobel International Business School obtained on March 18, 2017, along with an EMBA admission letter from the same institution dated August 21, 2017.
Bonzoh emphasized that eligibility for a postgraduate certificate program requires a first degree. He also referenced his service record as the District Chief Executive for Ellembelle from 2017 to 2024 and his candidacy as the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ellembelle in four consecutive elections from 2012 to 2024. Bonzoh has requested the Regional Appeals Committee to reconsider his case and overturn his disqualification, asserting that his postgraduate certificate satisfies the requirement under Article 16(f).
The appeal was also forwarded to the Acting NPP National Chairman, General Secretary, Presidential Candidate H.E. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Western Regional Elections Committee, and the Western Regional Steering Committee. The situation has intensified as Bismak Nyameke Kojoe, Ellembelle Constituency Organizer, threatened in a viral video to pursue a court injunction on the August Western Regional Executive elections if Bonzoh is not cleared, alleging that the disqualification was intended to allow incumbent Regional Secretary Okatakyie Afrifa to run unopposed.
As of Saturday, July 26, 2026, the NPP National Appeal Committee had not issued a decision on the appeal. The Western Regional NPP Secretariat and representatives of Okatakyie Afrifa have not yet provided comments.