Political scientist Dr Kwame Asah-Asante has cautioned political parties, particularly the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to tread carefully in disciplining members, warning that selective application of party rules could breed perceptions of discrimination and gag dissenting voices.
Speaking on Pulse on JoyNews, Dr Asah-Asante said while political parties must enforce discipline, they must also balance that responsibility with the need to preserve unity and maintain their support base.
“Political parties are run by numbers. Members must indeed conform to the rules of the game, but you also want to balance it against the fact that you want to maintain the numbers,” he said.
His comments come in the wake of the NPP’s decision to initiate processes to expel former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, following remarks he made in a television interview describing the party as “fake” and questioning its internal democratic credentials.
In a statement signed by the party’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP said it had taken “due notice” of comments made by Prof Frimpong-Boateng on Channel One TV on Monday, January 12, 2026, during which he reportedly declared that he no longer considered himself a member of the party.
The party also accused him of making “disparaging remarks” and alleging that the 2023 presidential primary was rigged in favour of former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who led the party into the 2024 general elections.
“The Party unequivocally rejects Professor Frimpong-Boateng’s unfortunate characterisation of the NPP and firmly denies his baseless and unsubstantiated allegations regarding the conduct of the 2023 Presidential Primary,” the statement said.
Reacting to the development, Dr Asah-Asante expressed surprise at the party’s swift move, arguing that others within political parties have made similar or even harsher comments in the past without facing sanctions.
“I have seen people within parties who have said worse things, unprintable things, but I did not see sanctions meted out to them,” he noted.
Though he clarified that he does not belong to any political party, Dr Asah-Asante said as an observer, he expects fairness and consistency in how party rules are enforced.
“We want to make sure that whatever they do, there shouldn’t be an element of discrimination that somebody will feel that they are being targeted or gagged,” he added.
According to him, parties must strike a delicate balance between enforcing discipline and safeguarding internal democracy.
“This is a fine line they need to tread—and tread cautiously,” he stressed.
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