Political Scientist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante, has cast doubt over the ability of political parties to fully control the conduct of their supporters, warning that recent commitments to peace within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) may be difficult to enforce in practice.
Speaking on JoyNews, on Thursday, January 22, during discussions around the NPP’s peace pact ahead of its internal contest, Dr Asah-Asante said party leaders often overestimate their influence over grassroots supporters.
“Actually they have no control over their supporters,” he said. “They themselves will not want their supporters to even be quiet when there’s a need for them to speak out. They will pretend to be making sure that they put them under control, but I tell you without fear of contradiction that the supporters will not listen.”
His comments come amid heightened political activity within the NPP as the party prepares to elect a flagbearer, with party elders and institutions urging aspirants and supporters to avoid personal attacks and conduct peaceful campaigns.
Dr Asah-Asante described the situation as a difficult one for the party, noting that while leadership may be well intentioned, enforcement remains the real challenge. “It’s a difficult thing for the party, but who knows? Maybe they will be able to deal with it,” he added.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the apparent inactivity of internal regulatory mechanisms meant to manage campaign conduct. According to him, if such a body had been established ahead of the campaign period, it should by now be more visible and decisive.
“My disappointment is that if prior to this campaign, a body was set up to regulate the conduct of people and make sure nobody engages in a campaign that is injurious to the party, I am not seeing that body working,” he said.
The political scientist pointed to the volume of accusations and attacks exchanged among aspirants and their supporters, arguing that the silence of party enforcers sends the wrong signal. “A lot has been said against competitors. They’ve said things against themselves, and I’ve not seen that body come out to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” he noted.
Looking ahead, Dr Asah-Asante warned that the tone of the campaign could worsen rather than improve. “The days ahead are not going to be different from what we have seen. At best, we are going to see more aggressive campaigning and more attacks,” he cautioned.
However, he said the current period also presents an opportunity for the party to assert authority and restore discipline if it genuinely wants to emerge united after the internal elections.
“This is the time that the party might be able to put it down, if they really want to go through this election and come out successfully as one family,” he said.
The NPP peace pact is part of broader efforts to preserve party unity and credibility, especially as Ghana’s political landscape remains closely watched following the 2024 general elections.
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