Former Member of Parliament for Subin Constituency, Eugene Boakye Antwi, has questioned the performance of the current leadership of the New Patriotic Party, NPP, following the party’s heavy defeat in the 2024 general elections.
Mr Antwi, who seeks to become the party’s next General Secretary, argued that the NPP entered the 2024 election with organisational weaknesses that contributed significantly to its loss of parliamentary seats and its return to opposition.
The Former MP drew a comparison between the current administration of the party and previous General Secretaries who lost general elections and subsequently made way for new leadership. In his view, the scale of the NPP’s parliamentary losses under the current leadership demands serious consideration as delegates prepare to elect new national executives.
He noted that the party’s parliamentary representation suffered a major setback, with the NDC securing a commanding majority in Parliament after the election. Mr Antwi consequently argued that the outcome require delegates to examine the presidential result and the organisational performance of the party which is the work of the current General Secretary of the party.
“The figures speak for themselves. He has become our worst performing General Secretary.”
Eugene Boakye Antwi
The Aspiring General Secretary explained that the responsibilities of the General Secretary extend heavily into parliamentary organisation and election coordination. He pointed out that Ghana’s political history demonstrates the importance of parliamentary strength because the party that controls Parliament generally gains the opportunity to form government.
Mr Antwi therefore believes that the party must assess how effectively its structures operated before and during the 2024 election. He contended that the NPP possessed a strong presidential candidate in Dr Mahamudu Bawumia but lacked the organisational strength required to translate that advantage into electoral success.
The Former MP contrasted the NPP’s position with that of the NDC, which he described as having a stronger party structure despite entering the contest with a weaker presidential candidate. He cited the roles played by the NDC’s national executives as an example of how party organisation could influence an election.
According to Mr Antwi, the weakness of the NPP’s structures was so significant that changing the presidential candidate alone would not have altered the outcome. He went as far as arguing that even a globally prominent political figure would have struggled to overcome the organisational deficiencies confronting the party.
Mr Antwi argued that the distinction between presidential and parliamentary responsibilities should guide the party’s internal assessment. While the presidential campaign operates around the flagbearer and his campaign team, he added that the party machinery carries a significant responsibility for parliamentary contests.
Fair NPP Elections Can Restore Unity Before 2028
Former Member of Parliament for Subin Constituency, Eugene Boakye Antwi also called for fairness in the New Patriotic Party’s internal elections, arguing that a transparent contest could help prevent divisions from deepening within the party.
Mr Antwi, an Aspiring General Secretary, said disagreements naturally emerge during internal contests but become more difficult to manage when contestants believe that electoral rules favour particular individuals.
The Former MP explained that the NPP’s democratic tradition requires all aspirants to compete under conditions that provide equal opportunities. In his view, delegates are more likely to accept an electoral outcome when they trust the process that produces it.
“If you have a fair, level playing ground and fair rules for everybody, I don’t think people will have issues with the party.”
Eugene Boakye Antwi
Mr Antwi also rejected the suggestion that the party’s five presidential contenders could independently secure victory in a national election. He argued that whoever emerges from the internal contest would eventually need the support of the other contenders and their followers to mount an effective campaign.
The Aspiring General Secretary pointed to previous NPP elections as examples of how unity among contestants helped present a stronger image to voters. He recalled the 2000 election, when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo supported John Agyekum Kufuor after the internal contest, creating what he described as a visible sense of cohesion.
He also cited the 2016 campaign, when Alan Kyerematen supported Nana Akufo Addo after finishing second in the party’s presidential primary. Mr Antwi said such gestures helped demonstrate that an internal contest could end with contestants working together towards a common electoral objective.
By contrast, he argued that the NPP failed to project a similar level of cohesion during the 2024 campaign. The Former MP questioned the decision-making surrounding the visibility of leading figures after the presidential primary, particularly the relationship between the eventual flagbearer and the candidate who finished second.
In his view, the party needed a stronger public demonstration of unity after the primary. He believes such an arrangement could have reassured supporters and voters that the internal contest had ended and that the party had moved towards a collective campaign.
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