The present events within the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), according to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), are the result of a lack of decisive leadership.
On October 19, 2023, Asiedu Nketiah said during a Starr Chat appearance that he had grounds to think the NPP has been taken over and has turned into a tool in the hands of the president who is managing the party’s business from a position beyond the purview of its elected leadership.
“They don’t have courageous party leadership that is why they are in what they are in. Courage doesn’t mean violence or anything… why are they taking decisions and going out and complaining about those decisions? They have allowed the party to be run from outside,” he noted during his interview with Bola Ray.
“Wherever you find a party not being able to take decisions that are considered not supportive of the president’s position, that party is a tool in the hands of the president and he will choose to use it anyhow.
“The party should be able to stick to their rules, practices and everything. That is where the party can do what they are established to do,” he stated.
Internal disputes within the NPP are becoming more intense as the process of choosing a flagbearer for the general elections in 2024 approaches.
Former Trade and Industry Minister John Alan Kyerematen withdrew from the campaign before of the party’s conference to choose a flagbearer on November 4 and declared his intention to run in the forthcoming general elections as an independent.
He stated that the party leadership’s attempts to sway the flagbearer election in favor of their selected candidate by intimidating him and his supporters affected his choice.
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a contender for flagbearer and fellow party member, felt compelled to publicly accuse the party’s leadership of promoting a certain candidate.
He has threatened to take action on several times if the party doesn’t guarantee a free and fair congress.
