Professor Ransford Gyampo, a renowned academic from the University of Ghana, has sharply criticized the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for planning to invest time and resources into a nationwide review to understand the reasons behind their defeat in the 2024 general elections.
According to Gyampo, the causes for the NPP’s loss are already clear and do not warrant further investigation. He pointed to what he described as the party’s fundamental issues with corruption, economic mismanagement, and governance failure as the primary reasons voters turned away from them.
In a candid interview on Key Points on TV3, Gyampo argued that blaming voter apathy, as the NPP seems inclined to do, without delving deeper into the systemic reasons behind it, is nothing more than a diversionary tactic. “People didn’t vote because they felt let down by corruption, arrogance, economic mismanagement, and nepotism. If the party believes that apathy caused the loss, why are they setting up a committee to explore what went wrong?” he said.
Gyampo’s remarks strike at the heart of the NPP’s political challenges. The NPP’s leadership is currently facing intense scrutiny over its inability to retain the support of a significant portion of the electorate, despite running on promises of economic stability and development. While the party’s internal review is meant to be a constructive step, Gyampo believes that it could be a misplaced effort. “If they want answers, they need to come to us and other experts who can explain the political and governance issues that led to this monumental defeat,” he added.
The NPP’s National Chairman, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, acknowledged the party’s electoral loss, which saw the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, John Dramani Mahama, triumph with 56.55% of the vote, compared to 41.61% for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the NPP. Despite the setback, Ntim exuded optimism, maintaining that the NPP would remain committed to its long-term vision for Ghana. He confirmed plans to set up a committee in January 2025 to review the electoral outcome. This committee, Ntim said, would engage with both party members and the general public to understand the factors that contributed to the loss.
Gyampo’s critique, however, underscores a broader concern about the party’s governance and communication strategy. His remarks reflect growing frustration with the NPP’s handling of key issues, particularly economic management. The defeat of the NPP is widely viewed as a repudiation of the party’s handling of economic challenges, including inflation, unemployment, and a perceived decline in living standards. Yet, the NPP has yet to address these governance issues directly, which could be why its post-election response has been slow to resonate with the public.
The formation of an election review committee may offer the NPP an opportunity to recalibrate, but Gyampo’s comments suggest that focusing solely on voter apathy without addressing the root causes of the dissatisfaction could risk repeating past mistakes. As Ghana’s political landscape shifts in the wake of the election, both the NPP and the NDC face the delicate task of restoring public confidence and managing the country’s pressing challenges.
The NPP’s internal review could prove to be an essential step in navigating the road ahead, but only if it acknowledges the fundamental issues that contributed to its loss—issues that Gyampo believes are too significant to be glossed over by a superficial analysis of voter turnout.
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