The New Patriotic Party (NPP), once celebrated as a dominant political force in Ghana's democratic evolution, today finds itself in a profound existential crisis. The party is not merely experiencing electoral defeat; it is suffering from what may best be described as "political elephantiasis"--a condition in which the organisational body becomes grossly swollen, dysfunctional, and unresponsive, while real power slips from principled leadership into the hands of a few entrenched and self-serving factions.
The NPP's humiliating defeat in the 2024 general election did not occur in a vacuum. Rather, it laid bare deep-seated internal divisions, a fundamentally flawed approach to governance, and most critically, a failure of leadership at the highest levels of the party. The administration of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, alongside the party's 2024 flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, presided over an era marked by declining public trust, policy incoherence, and moral exhaustion.
Recent remarks by Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, who described the current leadership and structures of the NPP as "fake," have generated intense debate. Yet, uncomfortable as his assessment may be, it resonates with a growing segment of the Ghanaian public and party faithful alike. His intervention echoes earlier warnings by former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, who at an NPP conference in 2025, succinctly diagnosed the causes of the party's defeat: the arrogance of power, corruption, and indiscipline within the party. These were not casual observations; they were a sober post-mortem from a statesman who understands both power and its perils.
At the heart of the NPP's decline lies a deeper ideological failure. Political parties do not endure merely through slogans or electoral machinery; they survive through coherent, credible ideologies grounded in the national interest. In Ghana's constitutional framework, this ideological grounding ought to align with the Directive Principles of State Policy in the 1992 4th Republican Constitution. Over the past eight years however, the NPP's proclaimed philosophy of "property-owning democracy" degenerated into a crude justification for state capture, elite accumulation, and systematic corruption.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Related Articles- The street narrativeMarch 12, 2025
- United Nations@76: Ghana, UN working together to make the world a better placeNovember 3, 2021
What emerged was not inclusive capitalism, but a distorted political economy in which public office became a conduit for private enrichment. State projects were transformed into profit-making ventures for connected interests, while ordinary Ghanaians bore the cost through economic hardship, declining public services, and widening inequality. This ideological malaise--rather than isolated leadership failures--is the true cancer afflicting the NPP.
Reversing this condition will require more than cosmetic reforms or leadership reshuffles. It demands a radical rethinking of the party's ideological foundations. In its current form, the NPP is structurally incapable of renewal. A genuine rebirth would require the party to collapse its discredited framework and reconstitute itself around a people-centred ideology that places the welfare of Ghanaians above private capital and factional interests.
Professor Frimpong-Boateng deserves commendation for articulating this diagnosis with scientific precision and moral courage. The calls for his expulsion only confirm the party's growing intolerance for truth and internal accountability. Far from being an isolated voice, he represents a silent majority within the NPP--intellectuals, professionals, and grassroots members--who recognise that denial has become the party's default response to failure.
Ghana's democracy requires a strong, pluralistic party system. However, pluralism must not come at the expense of ethical governance and ideological integrity. As Ghana continues its journey toward democratic consolidation, political parties must be guided--not indulged--by the imperatives of accountability, justice, and national interest. In its present ideological configuration, the NPP falls tragically short of this standard.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Long live Ghana
Long live Ghana's democracy
Written by Ohene Opoku Agyemang, PhD
+8613025167627
Follow Ghanaian Times WhatsApp Channel today. https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
🌍 Trusted News. Real Stories. Anytime, Anywhere.
✅ Join our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
