A post-mortem of the NPP’s disastrous 2024 election performance has revealed that President Akufo-Addo’s refusal to reshuffle his Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, and deepening party factionalism were key factors in the party’s downfall.
The report which is available to MyNewsGh, highlights that 87% of respondents believed Akufo-Addo’s unyielding stance on Ofori-Atta’s removal was a turning point that alienated both voters and party members.
In 2022, 87 MPs, mostly from the Ashanti Region, returned from recess after listening to their constituents and publicly demanded Ofori-Atta’s dismissal.
However, the President dismissed these calls, which was widely perceived as putting personal loyalty over party interest.
The consequences were severe. The report suggests that Akufo-Addo retaliated against those who championed Ofori-Atta’s removal, allegedly ensuring that some lost their ministerial roles or were pushed out of their constituencies.
This deepened divisions within the party, with many in the Ashanti bloc believing they were being sidelined by what they referred to as the “Akyem Mafia”—a faction accused of favoring individuals from the Eastern Region over the party’s traditional stronghold.
One of the most controversial decisions was the forced resignation of Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the NPP’s parliamentary leader and a respected MP from Ashanti. His removal was seen as a strategic error, as the replacement from the Central Region failed to deliver results.
The report also recounts the case of Hon. Kweku Kwarteng, a respected Ashanti MP and former Deputy Finance Minister. Despite his loyalty and sacrifices for the party, he was abruptly removed as Finance Committee Chairman, a move that angered his supporters and nearly cost the NPP his seat in the 2024 elections.
In the end, the report paints a picture of a party torn apart by loyalty battles, internal purges, and factional mistrust, with Akufo-Addo’s leadership at the center of the crisis.
The post Akufo-Addo’s loyalty to Ofori-Atta and internal divisions led to NPP’s 2024 defeat – Report appeared first on MyNewsGh.
