When he sailed through vetting to contest as Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah made a promise: “I will lead Ashanti with less speeches and more work.”
Three weeks later, delegates at the NPP regional elections elected him Chairman of the party in the Ashanti Region.
He polled 663 votes to beat Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu, who secured 269 votes, in an election widely seen as a contest for the soul of the party’s stronghold.
For COKA, as he is popularly known, the journey to the regional chairmanship started from the grassroots.
He has served as a Ward Organiser, Ward Chairman, Regional Financial Secretary and Constituency Chairman for Afigya Kwabre for five terms.
He also chaired the Conference of Constituency Chairmen in Ashanti for two terms and served on several party committees.
Academically, the Ashanti NPP Chairman holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a master’s degree in Peace, Security and Intelligence. Politically, however, his biggest credential is his record at the grassroots.
In 2022, he made his first bid for the regional chairmanship but lost to Bernard Antwi Boasiako, polling 306 votes against Boasiako’s 464.
He did not quit. Instead, he continued supporting constituencies, party members, widows and vulnerable persons across the region.
The gesture earned him the nickname “Asanteman COKA, I Care.”
Less speeches, more work
That grassroots identity defined his campaign. His message was simple: restore the NPP in Ashanti through structure, unity and results.
“I am coming to lead the Ashanti Region so we can do everything legally possible to increase our presidential votes, increase our parliamentary seats, and win Election 2028,” he told delegates during vetting.
His task is clear and urgent. In 2024, the NPP’s presidential vote in Ashanti dropped to about 1,366,800 votes, or 65 per cent, from 1.79 million in 2020.
The party also lost 10 of the region’s 47 parliamentary seats to the NDC.
COKA says the solution is not big rallies but strong party structures.
“A strong and united party with structures that work effectively from the polling station to the regional office,” he told JoyNews in an interview.
Odeneho Kwaku Appiah added: “We will work together. We will decide together. We will enjoy together. And yes, we will even suffer together. But most importantly, we will protect and defend our party constitution.”
Following his victory, he called for an immediate start to the campaign for 2028, urging members to put the internal contest behind them and focus on reclaiming lost seats.
The philanthropist-politician
Beyond politics, Odeneho Kwaku Appiah is known as an entrepreneur and philanthropist.
He has several investments in the hospitality industry, among other economic ventures.
Party members credit his support for jobs, welfare and community projects as key to keeping the base engaged during the party’s years in opposition.
Delegates who voted for him describe him as a “grassroots person” who understands the challenges at the polling station level and can reconnect the party to its base.
Now as Chairman, the expectation is that he will translate that reputation into electoral gains. His own words set the tone.
With the Ashanti Region still the NPP’s biggest vote bank, COKA’s leadership will be measured by one thing: whether he can win back the 10 lost parliamentary seats and push the party’s presidential numbers back up in 2028.
For now, the man who once lost the race and kept working has finally got the job.
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