“Akrakyɛfoɔ mmienu, macho man baako.” Two educated people, one macho man.
That was the line Kojo Bamba took to delegates of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the campaign trail. It became one of the most memorable messages of the party’s 2026 national elections.
Few people tipped him to win. The polls left him out of the top three. Yet when the Electoral Commission read the results in Kumasi, Bamba had 3,116 votes. He finished first among 13 candidates for three vice-chairmanship slots.
What interests me is not only that he won. It is how a candidate who was not at the centre of attention ended up at the top of the ballot. So who exactly is Kojo Bamba?
The Man Behind the Name
His real name is Kwadwo Fosu Boadu. Most people in the NPP know him as Kojo Bamba.
He is a boy from Asafo, a suburb of Kumasi. He was an auto mechanic who entered partisan politics as a “machoman” and grew through the grassroots of the party. In 2018, he was appointed Deputy National Director of Operations of the NPP youth wing.
Why “Bamba”?
One account among party members links the name to the “Bamba Boys”. This was a group of young supporters around Alhaji Moctar Musah Bamba, a former Deputy Minister of Presidential Affairs. According to that account, Fosu Boadu took on the name after years of working with him.
I could not confirm this independently, and I welcome comment from anyone who knows the story. What is not in doubt is that the name stuck. Kwadwo Fosu Boadu became Kojo Bamba, and Kojo Bamba became a household name within the NPP.
The Delta Force Years
To understand his rise, we have to go back to 2017. I want to state this part of his story plainly.
Bamba was a leader of Delta Force, a pro-NPP vigilante group in the Ashanti Region. In March 2017, members of the group stormed the office of the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, George Adjei, in Kumasi. They were protesting against his appointment by President Akufo-Addo, and they forced him out of his office.
The police arrested Bamba, then a 37-year-old mechanic, as the alleged leader of the attack. Thirteen members were later charged. At their first court appearance, other Delta Force members stormed the court and freed them. The 13 later reported themselves to the police. In October 2017, they pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit crime, namely rioting, and were each fined GH¢1,800.
After that, he went quiet. He was only seen now and then within the party’s security detail. Later, as a youth wing officer, he announced that Delta Force had been disbanded.
This history cannot be left out of any honest profile of him. It is part of his story. So is the distance he has travelled since.
The 13-Candidate Race: Unseen
Several candidates had bigger profiles. Henry Nana Boakye was the immediate past National Organiser. Nana Akomea is a former Communications Director of the party and a former Managing Director of STC. Alhaji Masawudu Osman was the outgoing vice chairman. Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid was also in the race.
A Global InfoAnalytics poll rated Nana Akomea and Dr Abdul-Hamid as the most favourable candidates. APL projected Nana Akomea to win the top slot. None of the polls had Bamba in the top three. Even Bamba admitted in his campaign message that he was not sure he would come first.
This is what I mean by “unseen”. Bamba was campaigning. He met delegates, made videos and put his case. But he was not the obvious centre of attention. Being well known to the public is not the same as having influence with the people who vote. His campaign focused on the second.
“Akrakyɛfoɔ Mmienu, Macho Man Baako”
At first, his slogan sounds like a joke. I read it as a voting instruction.
Delegates had three votes for the three slots. Bamba did not ask them to turn away from the candidates they already liked. He asked for one of the three. Use two votes on the educated candidates, he said, and use the last one on the macho man who would protect party members and their ballots.
I want to be fair here. The word “educated” is his framing. It is not my judgement of the other candidates, many of whom have long records of service.
My reading is that Bamba offered delegates a balanced ticket. If two choices covered education and experience, the third should cover toughness and the grassroots. He did not need to beat everyone. He only needed to be their third name.
It also fits the mood of the party. The NPP lost the 2024 election and is rebuilding for 2028. For many delegates, the question was not only who had the best credentials. It was also who could help them win at the polling station.
Number Two and the Elephant
Bamba was number two on the ballot paper, and he kept reminding delegates of it. In a race with 13 candidates, that was useful. A name can be forgotten, but a number is easy to recall at the moment of voting.
In a TikTok video posted on 18 September 2026, he stands just metres away from an elephant, the symbol of the NPP. At the time of writing, the video had over 215,000 views. He opens with his number: “Number two, vote for number two.”
He then makes a promise. If they vote for number two on 3 October, he says, “the elephant will come back home.” He names Dr Bawumia as the leader who will ride it. “Let me push it,” he adds. “Let us bring the party back into power.” He closes with “Victory” three times and “2028”.
The chain is simple. Vote for number two. Elect Bamba. Push the elephant home. Return the party to power in 2028. The number gave delegates something to remember. The elephant gave them something to picture. And “let me push it” gave Bamba a role in getting there.
The Grassroots Message Beneath the Slogans
It would be easy to read this campaign as slogans only. I think that would be a mistake.
Underneath the chants, Bamba had an organisational argument. He called constituency executives the party’s “frontline soldiers”. They mobilise supporters and protect polling stations long before national leaders arrive. Yet they can be sidelined once power is won. He said the party’s return in 2028 depends on their strength.
He took that message to about 12 constituencies in the Ashanti Region. He also visited Power Chapel Worldwide to seek spiritual guidance on his bid. The Oforikrom Constituency Chairman, Anthony Amankwaa, called his message powerful. After his win, he pledged to “empower the grassroots” and “protect every vote”.
The macho man spoke to protection. The grassroots message spoke to organisation. “Vote for number two” made the choice easy to remember. All three pointed to the polling station, where elections are won.
Unheard?
But was Kojo Bamba really unheard? I do not think so. His “vote for number two” refrain was hardly a whisper. What I mean is narrower. He did not dominate the national conversation around the race.
The names attracting the most attention belonged to candidates with senior party and government profiles. Bamba seemed less interested in that conversation. He was more interested in reaching the delegates whose votes would decide the outcome.
I cannot say that his lower profile helped him. But it raises a fair question. Who was actually listening? On 3 October, the delegates gave their answer.
Who Is Kojo Bamba Now?
Kojo Bamba now sits in the national leadership, alongside Chairman John Boadu, Henry Nana Boakye and Nana Akomea. As First Vice Chairman, he takes charge of party affairs when the chairman is absent.
The harder work starts here. Can the man who spoke about protecting every vote help build the systems that protect those votes? Will constituency executives feel a difference under his leadership? Can “let me push it” become a plan?
After he was sworn in, he struck a different tone. “I do not see myself as better than anyone else,” he wrote on his Facebook page. He described himself as a voice for the youth.
That is the spirit the party needs now. The NPP lost power in 2024, and the road back will be long. Dr Bawumia will lead the party into the 2028 election, having won the presidential primary in January. In his victory speech, he told members, “Now, we must heal, unite, and prepare to win in 2028.”
That work cannot be done from the top alone. Elections are won at the polling station, by the constituency executives, agents and supporters Bamba spoke about throughout his campaign. If he keeps his promise to empower the grassroots and protect every vote, he will help give Dr Bawumia the strong ground game the party needs.
In his video, Bamba said Dr Bawumia would ride the elephant home, and he asked to push it. The delegates have now given him that chance. If he pushes as hard as he campaigned, 2028 can be the year the elephant comes back home.
Two educated people, one macho man. The delegates made their choice. Now the whole party must work together for victory in 2028.
The writer, Dr. Sandra Appiah Kubi is a forensic geneticist who also serves as the NPP UK Women’s Wing Secretary.
Disclaimer: This opinion piece reflects the personal views of the author and does not represent the editorial stance of starrfm.com.gh.
