NPP Must Fix Internal Rot Before Rushing to Pick a Flagbearer - Arthur Kennedy
Accra, Ghana - 30 June, 2025 - A former presidential aspirant and stalwart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Arthur Kennedy has called for a radical overhaul of the party's internal structures and a shift towards more inclusive and democratic processes, rejecting suggestions that the party should rush to elect a new presidential candidate, arguing that the NPP's deep-seated problems need to be addressed first.
According to Dr. Kennedy, the party's loss of its parliamentary majority in 2020 was a clear indication that it had lost touch with its grassroots supporters.
In an interview on TV3’s KeyPoints programme on Saturday, June 28, he emphasized the need for accountability, total renewal, and rebuilding trust at the local level, rather than opting for quick-fix strategies.
“We need to renew leadership all the way down — polling stations, constituency chairpersons, national executives — and only then choose a presidential candidate,” he said. “The real foundation of the party is the local leadership. They help us win parliamentary seats, which ultimately make it possible for the President to govern.”
Dr. Kennedy proposed a more open primary system, similar to those used in the United States and Canada, where every registered party member has a say in choosing candidates.
He suggested that the Electoral Commission's voter database could be used to verify party allegiance, allowing millions of genuine supporters to participate in internal elections.
“We should borrow from the American and Canadian systems,” he explained. “Let every party member vote. You can’t bribe everybody in Bantama or Walewale. It will demonetise politics and make the party more accountable.”
The NPP has scheduled its presidential primary for January 31, 2026, with several prominent figures, including Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, Kennedy Agyapong, and Bryan Acheampong, likely to contest.
However, Dr. Kennedy stressed that the party's priority should be to fix its internal cracks and restore credibility before choosing a new leader.
Dr. Kennedy also reflected on the party's record in office, acknowledging that the NPP's years in power were marked by reckless governance, corruption, and impunity.
“The lesson from 2020 is not to have less democracy but more,” he said. “We must open up our primaries, apologise for our mistakes and stop pretending shortcuts will fix the rot. The NPP is better than the party and government we saw in the last eight years — but we must prove it to the people.”
He emphasized the need for the party to apologize to Ghanaians for its mistakes and earn back trust through real reforms and good ideas.
‘We failed Ghanaians — we must apologise’.
“We governed recklessly and incompetently. We failed Ghanaians, and we failed our tradition,” he said. “The electorate punished us — and they were right. We’re not entitled to anyone’s votes. We must apologise and earn back trust through real reforms and good ideas.”
Source: Lead News Online
