By Daniel Bampoe
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has issued a blunt and passionate call for unity within the New Patriotic Party (NPP), warning that the party risks losing the 2028 general elections if it continues down its current path of internal division, self-interest, and disorganization.
Speaking at the launch of the Patriotic Institute—an ideological and strategic think tank aimed at rejuvenating the intellectual and grassroots base of the party— Kufuor did not mince words about the state of the NPP.
Although acknowledging that he was not the one to perform the official ribbon-cutting, the former president said he accepted the invitation to attend because he felt a responsibility to speak hard truths that the party needed to hear.
In a historical reflection intended to draw lessons for the party’s current generation of leaders, Kufuor recalled the NPP’s defeat in the 1979 elections when it contested under the name Popular Front Party (PFP).
He attributed that loss to excessive individualism, lack of unity, and self-destructive internal rivalries. By contrast, he noted that the People’s National Party (PNP), which presented Dr. Hilla Limann—a relatively unknown figure at the time—as its presidential candidate, won simply because it remained unified.
“We had split ourselves, believing that we were so good the people of Ghana would see our goodness and give it to us,” he said.
“We were tearing at each other, assuming Ghanaians were not watching.”
The former president emphasized that political success is not about who appears most intelligent, accomplished, or morally superior within the party, but rather about forging unity and winning the trust of the masses.
Using a simple analogy, he compared the isolated lifestyles of elites—living in monogamous homes with few children—to the broader, more numerous electorate of ordinary citizens who may live with multiple wives and many children.
“When it’s time to vote, who do you think will win if you haven’t earned their trust?” he asked. “It’s common sense.”
His comments also struck at the heart of ideological discipline. Referencing the intellectual heritage of Dr. J.B. Danquah, one of the founding fathers of the NPP’s tradition, Kufuor said that while Danquah championed principles like democracy and property ownership, the party must not be reduced to personalities.
“The party is not Danquah,” he said. “It is the principles we subscribe to.”
Kufuor also criticized what he described as the rising “disease of high individualism” within the NPP, stating that many now focus more on their personal ambitions than the collective good. “Me-too-ism” and ego-driven politics, he said, were partly to blame for the party’s repeated missteps.
The former president appealed directly to the younger generation of NPP leaders to embrace humility, discipline, and the core values of party building. “You people, young people, it’s your turn,” he stressed. “Not again should we allow internal divisions to derail our mission.”
The launch of the Patriotic Institute comes at a time when the NPP is grappling with leadership transitions and positioning itself for the 2028 elections following a defeat in the 2024 polls.
The Institute is expected to serve as a policy and research hub for the party’s ideological renewal and to help build a disciplined and informed political class within the NPP.
