Prince Ofosu Sefah is the writer of this article
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), now out of government, must come to terms with one of the most crushing defeats in its history.
From 2020 onwards, the party faced unprecedented global and domestic challenges, beginning with the COVID-19 pandemic and followed by a global economic downturn that brought precipitous and historic negative GDP growth, inflation, supply chain disruptions, and shrinking revenues.
No Ghanaian government has ever governed under more turbulent conditions than the NPP did during the aforementioned period.
The crises exposed the party’s vulnerabilities profoundly, delayed key projects, deepened economic hardship, and widened the trust deficit between the government and the people.
This difficult period culminated in the NPP’s heavy defeat in the 2024 elections—part of a global trend that saw nearly 80% of incumbent governments voted out during the same period.
In fact, even before our flagbearer contest in 2023, leadership knew we faced impending defeat and needed to work extra hard to try to turn it around. We believed it was possible. Ultimately, victory eluded us.
Now, in the aftermath, there are some calls within the party for accountability.
However, I submit that these calls, though understandable, are misdirected and risk being counterproductive.
The truth is, there is more than enough blame to go around.
The economic crisis may have exposed us, but it also laid bare deeper issues: a persistent culture of infighting, a troubling disconnect between leadership and grassroots, a surge of selfish individual ambition and pursuits, and so much meanness towards fellow party members.
Some delegates became openly transactional. Many executives and appointees prioritised personal gain. Too many crucial campaign errors from many key stakeholders.
In such a context, I am compelled to invoke the words of Jesus in John 8:7: “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
According to the respected Konrad Adenauer Foundation, 81% of Ghanaians said the primary reason for our loss was the party’s failure to manage the economy to their satisfaction and the resulting hardships. That is a clear and sobering message we need to address in the future.
I think what the NPP needs now is not blame games, but introspection and strategic renewal.
I think we should focus on identifying who among us has the vision, credibility, and leadership capacity to rebuild the NPP brand, reconnect with Ghanaians, and lead us back to power.
We cannot seek equity with dirty hands. Continuing down the path of internal blame games will only distract us from the urgent work of reinvention.
We must ask ourselves: Who can unite this party? Who can inspire Ghanaians again? Who can learn from our failures and turn them into fuel for a stronger, better NPP? Let us channel our energies accordingly.
Then we can restore the hope and confidence that Ghanaians once placed in us.
