Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, has urged members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to recommit themselves to the party’s founding values rather than chasing personal advancement.
Speaking at the official unveiling of the Patriotic Institute in Accra on June 25, 2025, Afenyo-Markin stressed that the new centre was not just a reaction to the party’s 2024 electoral defeat, but a necessary renewal rooted in principle, purpose, and the enduring ideals of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition.
“Today marks a new chapter in the intellectual and ideological life of the New Patriotic Party, a true call for loyalty,” Mr Afenyo-Markin said. “It is the clearest institutional expression of our party’s enduring belief in development in freedom, principled leadership, and the continuous renewal of the values that have shaped the NPP since its birth.”
Drawing on his personal history, he recalled the price his family paid for their loyalty to the NPP during the 1980s and 1990s. He shared how his mother lost her teaching job for refusing to join the Thirty-First December Women’s Movement, how his stepfather was sidelined after the 1996 elections, and how his father was driven into exile and denied international job opportunities due to his political stance.
“This is what standing for the NPP meant in practical terms, not just political rhetoric, but empty plates, unpaid school fees, scattered families, and dreams deferred,” he told the gathering. “Yet my parents never wavered. They understood something we may have forgotten: our individual grievances pale in comparison to the collective good we serve.”
He emphasized that the Patriotic Institute must reshape the mindset of party leaders, especially Members of Parliament, by anchoring them in the NPP’s ideological foundations. According to him, holding political office should be seen as a sacred responsibility, not a personal reward.
“Too often, political office is treated as a reward. As a result, some MPs take their seats with little knowledge of the values they are supposed to represent. The Patriotic Institute must change that,” he said.
The launch drew several senior party members, including the NPP Chairman, members of the Council of Elders, former Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Oke, former Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who was acknowledged as the party’s most recent presidential candidate.
Afenyo-Markin also addressed the growing trend of online attacks from the youth wing of the party. He urged young party members to engage with ideas constructively and respectfully, rather than using social media as a platform to target party elders.
Looking ahead, he expressed confidence that the party could rise again if it returns to its core mission and rebuilds with focus.
“The elephant is mighty. Though it may stumble, it does not fall forever. We shall rise again, with clarity and a better strategy,” he said.
The Patriotic Institute is envisioned as a political training ground and policy hub for the NPP. It will offer education in governance, leadership, communication, and political philosophy, equipping party communicators and aspiring leaders with the intellectual foundation and skills necessary for principled public service.
