Nana Kwasi Retains Ashanti NDC Chairmanship with 814 Votes, Breaks Down in Tears

Augustus Andrews Nana Kwasi has retained his position as Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), defeating his challenger in a keenly contested election that extended his eight-year leadership of the party in Ghana's most populous region.

Nana Kwasi polled 814 votes against 622 for Isham Alhassan Yaw Bonsu, a former Ashanti Regional Organiser, out of 1,436 votes cast . The 192-vote margin secured him a third term at the helm of the NDC's Ashanti machinery.

Shortly after the results were announced, the incumbent chairman was overcome with emotion and broke down in tears as supporters and sympathisers gathered around him to celebrate . The scene drew the attention of delegates, with Nana Kwasi visibly struggling to contain his tears as he received congratulations.

A Record of Expansion

Nana Kwasi's campaign rested heavily on the NDC's improved electoral performance in the Ashanti Region during his tenure. Before the election, he cited the party's presidential vote growth from approximately 300,000 when he assumed office in 2018 to about 450,000 in the 2020 general elections and 800,000 in the 2024 polls .

That 2024 performance was historically significant. The NDC secured 697,076 votes in Ashanti, representing 33 per cent of valid votes cast—the first time since the Rawlings era that the party crossed the 30 per cent threshold in the region . The party also expanded its parliamentary representation from four seats to eight, flipping Ahafo Ano South East, Obuasi East, Akrofuom, and Adansi Asokwa .

Nana Kwasi had framed his re-election bid as a continuation of that trajectory. "When I won the regional election in 2018, the NDC had only three seats in the region after that heavy defeat in 2016," he said in an October interview. "I vowed to increase the seats no matter what" .

The Challenger

Isham Alhassan Yaw Bonsu, the incumbent Regional Organiser, positioned himself as an alternative capable of translating organisational experience into broader regional leadership . His campaign emphasised his involvement in the party's grassroots activities and his readiness to assume the chairmanship.

The contest attracted considerable interest among party faithful, reflecting the Ashanti Region's strategic importance. With 47 constituencies—the largest in Ghana—the region remains the New Patriotic Party's traditional stronghold, but the NDC's recent gains have made it a focal point for the party's national ambitions .

What Comes Next

Nana Kwasi's immediate challenge is unification. The 622 votes secured by Bonsu represent a substantial bloc within the regional party, and the chairman's post-election task will be to bring supporters of the defeated candidate into a cohesive structure ahead of the 2028 general elections.

The Ashanti result forms part of the NDC's nationwide regional executive elections held on November 14, 2026, with chairpersons elected in 11 of Ghana's 16 regions . The newly elected executives will steer the party's preparations for its National Delegates Congress scheduled for December 19, 2026.

For Nana Kwasi, the emotional scenes that followed the declaration spoke to the weight of the contest—and the expectations that now accompany his third term. The party's gains in Ashanti under his leadership have been real, but the margin of his victory suggests that consolidating those gains will require as much attention to internal cohesion as to external competition.