Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Finland Branch and Chair of the External Branch Chairpersons’ Caucus, James McKeown, has issued a rebuttal to a counter-petition filed by Sweden Branch Chair, Richard Oti-Aboagye, disputing the caucus’ petition against the cancellation of proxy voting in the upcoming presidential primaries.
In a rejoinder, Mr. McKeown said the counter-petition submitted by Mr. Oti-Aboagye “bears no resemblance to the actual proceedings of the caucus, the decisions of the caucus, nor to his own conduct and contributions throughout this process.”
Meetings of 5 and 12 October: “He raised no objections”
According to Mr. McKeown, who chaired all recent meetings of the Chairpersons’ Caucus, discussions at the 5 October 2025 meeting centred on “the need to protect proxy voting for diaspora members.” He insisted that every Chairperson in attendance, including Mr. Oti-Aboagye, endorsed the protection of proxy voting and supported exploring alternatives such as electronic voting and regional cluster systems.
He stated emphatically that “all Chairpersons present, including Mr. Oti-Aboagye, not only agreed that proxy voting must not be tampered with, but he also supported the exploration of improved alternatives.”
At the follow-up meeting on 12 October, Mr. McKeown said Mr. Oti-Aboagye “raised no objections, proposed no alternative direction, and did not distance himself from the caucus consensus.” Instead, he reportedly advised that the caucus intensify lobbying efforts since “some stakeholders in the party were pushing for cancellation of proxy voting.”
He added that minutes of the meetings, which he says can be made available with caucus approval, reflect Mr. Oti-Aboagye’s “full participation and support.”
6 November Ban: Oti-Aboagye’s own messages contradict counter-petition
Mr. McKeown pointed to the aftermath of the 6 November 2025 PAC press briefing, where the ban on proxy voting was officially announced, as further proof of Mr. Oti-Aboagye’s original position.
He quoted Mr. Oti-Aboagye’s own words on the caucus WhatsApp platform:
“For a conventional practice to be challenged or revoked, reasons must be stated… I will really appreciate if you share with us the reason(s) given for such impetuous move. I just can’t think far; it seems to me they just didn’t care about the external branches…”
In another message, the Sweden Branch Chairman lamented the diminishing relevance of external branches:
“Personally I think with these trends soon external branches will just exist by name… If we fail to fight this I think we are done. In politics now your VOTE & Money are your power.”
Based on these, Mr. McKeown said these comments clearly contradict Mr. Oti-Aboagye’s present claims that he neither supported nor participated in the caucus’ stance against the cancellation of proxy voting.
Emergency Meeting and Petition Procedure
An emergency meeting was held on 9 November 2025, which Mr. McKeown also chaired. He said Mr. Oti-Aboagye did not object to convening the meeting and raised no concerns about the process.
The petition that was eventually submitted on 11 November 2025 to the National Executive Committee (NEC), he said, followed the caucus’ longstanding procedures.
“Our meetings have always proceeded once one-third or more of Chairpersons are present, and decisions taken at such meetings have always been binding,” he explained, stressing that this standard had “never been challenged… by Mr. Oti-Aboagye, nor by any other Chairperson.”
Constitutional Basis: “The petition was fully grounded in Article 4(8)”
Mr. McKeown rejected assertions that the caucus needed to consult all branch executives before submitting a petition. He said the petition was “fully grounded in Article 4(8) of the NPP Constitution, which expressly empowers any member of the Party with a grievance to petition the Party.”
He argued that Chairpersons had always acted on behalf of their branches when swift action is required, calling this “a well-established principle within Party administration.”
“A troubling inconsistency”
Mr. McKeown described Mr. Oti-Aboagye’s counter-petition as “astonishing and deeply disappointing,” arguing that his sudden reversal only emerged after the caucus’ petition became public.
He said the move raises “serious concerns about his judgment, consistency, maturity, integrity and commitment.”
Citing Nelson Mandela, he said the Sweden Branch Chair’s shift reflects that “any person who changes his principles depending on whom he is dealing with, is not a man who can lead a nation.”
He further described Mr. Oti-Aboagye as “an unprincipled, self-centred, fickle minded person… patriotic only about his stomach.”
Caucus Stands Firm
Mr. McKeown insisted that the Chairpersons remain united in opposing the removal of proxy voting, saying they “recognised the threat it posed to diaspora participation.”
He also affirmed that the petition submitted to NEC “represents the true and authentic position of the Chairpersons’ Caucus.”
“We stand by the petition submitted to the Party. We stand by the decisions taken at our meetings. And we stand by the principle that diaspora members… must not be stripped of their right to vote because others find political advantage in their exclusion.”
He further indicated that the caucus “will not be distracted, divided, or misled by sudden reversals… that do not reflect our proceedings or our collective will. I am absolutely confident that the Party will not sacrifice the rights of delegates at the altar of political convenience”
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