Oppong Nkrumah blames NPP’s 2024 defeat on bad party corporate governance

The Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, says one of the reasons for the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) defeat in the just-ended 2024 general election is bad party corporate governance.

Mr. Nkrumah, who doubles as a member of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Constitutional and Legal Committee, outlined four key factors that contributed to the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections.

Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Point of View with Bernard Avle on Monday, July 21, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah cited findings from the Prof. Mike Oquaye-led committee, which was tasked with examining the reasons behind the party’s electoral loss.

He explained that the committee identified economic challenges, lapses in party corporate governance, internal operational conflicts, and a widespread perception of exclusion from decision-making processes as the main causes of the NPP’s poor performance.

“The Mike Oquaye committee was established to review our performance in the election. In every election, whether we win or lose, we do an introspection. The committee report highlighted four major issues.

“There were issues of governance policy, particularly on the economy, that were raised. It appears that was a major item. The majority of people said they either didn’t vote or voted against us because of their view that we had not been able to resolve the economic challenges robustly enough, in their opinion.”

He further emphasised challenges in internal structures:

“There were issues of party corporate governance. So you will find that things broke down on the ground in some parts because of issues of corporate governance. Corporate governance within the party had its own challenges.

“Number three, we had issues of operations—who has the power to do this and that. And finally, you had the perception at the party that when it comes to decision-making in the party, a lot of people are excluded. People who have to participate don’t participate, and the ownership of those decisions and advancing the course of those decisions suffer.”

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah noted that the party is taking steps to implement reforms based on the committee’s recommendations, pointing to the recently held National Delegates Conference as a significant step in that direction.

The conference, held on Saturday, July 19, at the University of Ghana Stadium, brought together party leaders, delegates, and supporters to address internal challenges and chart a forward-looking path for the NPP.