A leading figure in the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy, has strongly criticised the recent decision by the party’s leadership to grant amnesty to suspended and dismissed members, describing the move as poorly executed and lacking sincerity.
According to him, the gesture, while aimed at fostering unity, fails to address deeper grievances within the party and risks further alienating members and sympathisers who feel wronged.
Speaking in an interview, Dr. Arthur Kennedy said that although the intent of the amnesty was commendable, the execution was “botched.” He explained that unity is essential to the survival and success of any political party and has been proven by history both at home and abroad.
“The intent of granting an amnesty or more to the point of unity that is needed is a good thing. I think that unity is indispensable to the success of political parties and has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout history.”
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
He pointed to global and local political examples, citing the Democratic Party’s loss in the 1968 U.S. elections due to internal division, the Republican Party’s defeat in 1992 as a result of Ross Perot’s independent candidacy, and the loss of the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo tradition in Ghana’s 1979 elections following internal splits.
“Even in Ghana, the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo tradition was lost in 1979 because they were divided. In this 2024 election, we lost partly because we were divided,” he observed. Dr. Kennedy noted that Alan Kyerematen’s exit from the NPP was more than just the departure of an individual; it was symbolic of the deep-rooted problems facing the party.
He argued that many party members, though still technically part of the NPP, had “left in their hearts,” undermining the unity and vibrancy of the party. He further stressed that political parties should serve as spaces for friendship, relationship-building, and joy in service to the nation, but the NPP had strayed from this purpose.
Call to Reclaim NPP’s 20% Voters
Backing his concerns with data, he claimed that about 20 percent of votes secured by President John Mahama in the 2024 election came from long-standing NPP members who quietly shifted allegiance.
“Those votes, we don’t own them in 2028. We have to earn them back. By the way, those 20 percent account for about 1.2 million votes. If we had all of them, maybe Mahama wouldn’t be sitting in the Flagstaff House”.
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
He attributed the findings to exit polling conducted by Musa Dankwa, the Executive Director for GlobalInfoAnalytics. Dr. Kennedy emphasised that some NPP members could not bring themselves to vote for Mahama but chose to stay home instead. He argued that the amnesty as announced fails to provide the humility and reassurance needed to win such voters back.
“As patriotic Ghanaians, we need to reassure them that we heard their message, that we understand our mistakes, that we are more humble. I think that this amnesty does not address that”.
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
He also accused the party of hypocrisy, recalling instances where certain individuals without proper membership credentials were fast-tracked into significant positions while loyal members were denied opportunities.
“This amnesty is hypocritical because we are the same party that in 2008 brought somebody who didn’t even have a party membership card and made them running mates.
“Yet earlier that year, at least five people who wanted to run as parliamentary candidates had been disqualified because they had not, developed the party enough.”
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
Genuine Apologies
He argued that beyond granting amnesties, the party owes genuine apologies to figures such as Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyapong, Alan Kyerematen’s supporters, and others who have been sidelined or unfairly treated.
“We need also to apologize to Ghanaians for running the party as if it was a private club that belonged to a few individuals. A party is a public institution and should be run in a way that is attractive to people”.
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
Dr. Kennedy said that an amnesty announced by an acting national chairman was not one of authority but of sincerity. He argued that the restrictive conditions attached to the amnesty—such as preventing beneficiaries from running for office—undermined its credibility.
“It is a grudging amnesty that is calculated to keep people still on the side. If you grant an amnesty to somebody and he is not popular and he wants to go and run for office, let them go and lose. Why do you have to ban them from running for office? That in itself shows that the amnesty is not sincere.”.
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
Drawing from political history, he recalled a cautionary story shared by the late Akenten Appiah-Minka, who lamented that divisions within the NPP’s political tradition in 1979 had cost the party victory.
“Appiah Minka said, maybe by our selfishness and narrow-mindedness, we lost power to the untested and doomed the country by risking the security unnecessarily,” Dr. Kennedy recounted, warning that the party risked repeating such mistakes if it did not act with humility and foresight.
Dr. Kennedy insisted that the apologies must be done publicly, just as suspensions and dismissals were made public.
“The same way you suspended them publicly and humiliated them, that is the same place where you should go and make peace with them. The apologies should not only be to people like Afoko, it should be to the people of Ghana for our bone-headed policies”.
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
He cited policy failures, including stalled infrastructure projects and poor investment choices, as examples for which the NPP must also apologise to the nation.
Responding to whether an amnesty negates the offences of those suspended or dismissed, Dr. Kennedy said it does not necessarily erase wrongdoing. Rather, it reflects a political choice to prioritise unity and inclusivity over past disputes.
“It can even mean that the crimes are true, but the party has decided that the exigencies of the moment matter more than your previous crimes,” he said, arguing that parties must become more inclusive rather than operating like private clubs.
For him, the path forward requires not just reconciling with estranged members but also making the NPP attractive enough to win back disillusioned supporters and even draw crossovers from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“We need those 20 percent of Mahama voters to come home, and not just that, those who stayed home to go and vote, but more importantly, we need some NDC people to look at us and say we are attractive and cross the carpet so we can elect a president and a majority of MPs in 2028”.
Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy
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