In a candid analysis of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) performance in the 2024 general elections, Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei, a presidential staffer, has highlighted internal issues he believes played a significant role in the party’s electoral defeat.
While some have placed the blame squarely on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Newton-Offei argues that the problems underlying the party’s poor performance run deeper than the president’s leadership.
Central to his critique is an incident involving Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah, the NPP’s Deputy National Communications Officer and Head of Corporate Communications at Ghana Gas.
Mr. Newton-Offei recounts a personal experience where he sought information about Ghana Gas and contacted Owusu Bempah. Rather than assisting, Owusu Bempah allegedly reprimanded him for failing to use the word “please” during their conversation.
“For the life of me, I still can’t understand how Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah was made a deputy national communication officer of the NPP,” Newton-Offei wrote. “A fortnight ago, he was criticizing his colleagues for not answering calls, yet when I called him for information, he became furious because I didn’t say ‘please.’”
This encounter, he asserted is emblematic of a broader issue within the party: a culture of arrogance and disrespect among some appointees. According to him, many appointees, upon assuming office, develop an attitude of entitlement and disregard for fellow party members and the public.
Newton-Offei didn’t limit his criticism to Owusu Bempah. He also lambasted other appointees, ministers, and figures within the presidency, accusing them of sidelining party foot soldiers while prioritizing less relevant individuals, whom he described as “slay queens.”
He referred to these appointees as “useless busybodies” who have shut their doors to party loyalists, contributing to a growing sense of alienation within the NPP’s grassroots base.
He further criticized the party’s culture of “segregation” and “idiopathic pride and arrogance,” noting that this behavior not only alienated supporters but also eroded public trust, which was critical during the campaign.
Mr. Newton-Offei claimed that even the NPP’s campaign team was disconnected from grassroots feedback, exacerbating the party’s detachment from its base.
This disconnect, according to Mr. Newton-Offei, was a significant factor in the NPP’s defeat, as grassroots members and supporters felt ignored and undervalued.
Read his full post on Facebook below:
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