Assessment of the Determining Factors in the NPP’s 2024 Defeat
Delegates,
As you reflect on the New Patriotic Party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections, honestly not sentiment must guide your judgments. Political parties do not lose power by accident. They lose when leadership decisions, conduct, and priorities drift away from public sentiment.
A. The SSNIT Hotel Controversy Was Politically Costly
Whether the attempted acquisition of a state-owned hotel by a sitting Minister constituted a legal conflict of interest is immaterial in electoral politics. Elections are not decided in courtrooms; they are decided in the minds of voters.
At a time of:
Citizens were grappling with severe economic hardship,
Pensioners’ funds were under intense public scrutiny.
And a government appointee appeared to be positioning himself to acquire public assets,
the perception that a government appointee was positioning himself to acquire a public asset proved politically damaging. Perception alone eroded trust. Many voters felt disrespected, alienated, and ignored. Their response was not always anger but withdrawal. Low enthusiasm and voter apathy are as electorally lethal as protest votes.
B. Defending Personal Interests Distracted the Campaign
The party expended scarce political capital defending an individual controversy instead of prosecuting a disciplined, people-centered economic message. In politics, what you choose to defend signals what you value. Voters concluded rightly or wrongly, that priorities were misplaced. The cost was credibility. And optics alone were sufficient to erode public trust regardless of intent.
C. Responsibility Cannot Be Selective Or Blame-Shifting
It is inconsistent to enjoy the prestige of power when outcomes are favorable and then deflect responsibility when they are not. Electoral defeats are not caused by a single individual, but they are often deepened by the actions of powerful appointees like Dr Bryan Acheampong, Irene Naa Torshie Addo and Kennedy Agyapong whose conduct contradicts public expectations.
Government defeats are rarely caused by one individual. However, they are often worsened by the conduct of key appointees whose actions run counter to public sentiment. Voters do not draw neat distinctions between a presidential candidate and the powerful actors surrounding him, no matter how much party insiders attempt to do so.
Delegates must not pretend otherwise.
D. On “Doing Well” in the Eastern and Ashanti Regions
Performing well in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions is not an extraordinary contribution; it is the minimum expectation of the NPP. Electoral credit is earned by expanding appeal in swing and traditionally hostile regions, Volta, Northern, Upper East, and Upper West, not by merely retaining loyal strongholds.
Any narrative that elevates stronghold performance as exceptional is misleading and strategically dangerous.
The Object Lessons: The Hard Political Truth
Actions that appear self-serving during periods of economic hardship weaken moral authority, damage campaign credibility, and cost votes, even when the individual involved is not on the ballot. Ignoring this reality guarantees repetition of failure.
Delegates must therefore choose wisely. Electability, discipline, public trust, and emotional intelligence, not noise, entitlement, or personal ambition must guide the future of the New Patriotic Party.
Osɔfo Nii Naate Atswele Agbo Nartey
