Renowned political scientist Professor Ransford Gyampo has criticised the current leadership of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), saying the party has lost its soul and tradition.
He asserted that the current leadership is nothing like the party’s founding figures such as BJ Da Rocha, who, in his view, demonstrated competence and upheld the values of the party.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-based Metro TV, Prof Gyampo, who is also the Acting CEO of the Ghana Shippers Authority, said the leadership failure has stripped the NPP of its identity and historical appeal.
“For the NPP to be taken seriously again, it must retrace its roots to its tradition. The party has lost its soul because of the calibre of people it has recruited to lead it,” he said.
The political science lecturer said the NPP was originally built as an elitist party that valued debate and constructive criticism.
However, he lamented that under the current leadership, the party now sponsors personal attacks on social media instead of promoting learning and positive engagement.
“NPP is an elitist party. It’s not a mass party. It must go back to its tradition. The NPP used to believe in healthy debate — not in sponsoring small boys on social media to insult people they should be learning from,” he stated.
He recounts his interactions with the party’s founding Chairman, BJ Da Rocha, during his time at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
“I used to work with Mr. BJ Da Rocha. When he retired, he often came to the IEA. I also interacted with people like Haruna Esseku and others. I know what they stood for and how they managed the affairs of the party,” he said.
