Frimpong Boateng warns of ‘trainwreck’ if NPP elects Bawumia again

Former Environment Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng has warned that the NPP risks a political trainwreck if it elects Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as its flagbearer again.

He made the remarks on Channel One TV’s Point of View programme on Monday evening while assessing the state of the New Patriotic Party after its 2024 electoral defeat.

According to Prof Frimpong Boateng, the party has failed to confront the internal problems that led to its heavy loss, choosing instead to rally around the same leadership decisions.

“We lost the elections badly and we did not deal with the issues that led to the losses and we still want to go in there,” he said. “I think it will be a trainwreck if they elect the old flag bearer.”

The former minister argued that the current NPP no longer reflects the party’s founding values, insisting that internal democratic practices have been severely compromised.

“The present NPP is not real, it’s fake. What I see now is not the NPP I used to know,” he stated.

He was particularly critical of how the party selected its 2024 presidential candidate, describing the process as coercive and dangerous for any political organisation that claims to uphold democratic principles.

“Look at how they elected the last flag bearer. Twist people’s arms, intimidating others to get a flag bearer. This is the beginning of corruption and this should not be allowed in any serious party,” Prof Frimpong Boateng said.

While he stopped short of repeatedly mentioning names, his comments were widely interpreted as a direct criticism of Dr Bawumia, who led the NPP into the 2024 presidential election and is again being backed by sections of the party leadership.

Prof Frimpong Boateng also took aim at the wider record of the previous NPP administration, alleging that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, under whom he served, was unduly influenced by relatives during his time in office.

Beyond internal party matters, he expressed concern about the broader direction of governance, saying he does not see any serious or credible national development plan under the current government.

He warned that continued, uncritical support for Dr Bawumia by the present NPP leadership, without genuine reforms and accountability, could deepen the party’s crisis and further erode public trust.