A leaked internal report commissioned by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Ghana’s Ashanti Region has pinpointed a toxic mix of factional disputes, economic discontent, and corruption scandals as the driving forces behind the party’s shock defeat in the 2024 general elections.
The findings, drawn from a survey of 2,559 respondents across all 47 constituencies in the party’s traditional stronghold, reveal deep fractures in public trust and party cohesion that contributed to its historic electoral setback.
Central to the backlash was widespread anger over the NPP’s delegate system for selecting parliamentary and presidential candidates. Voters and party loyalists alike condemned the process as exclusionary and prone to manipulation, with many respondents arguing it sidelined grassroots voices in favor of elites. “The delegate system alienated the base. People felt their votes didn’t matter even within their own party,” an anonymous member of the probe team told local media.
Equally damning was the electorate’s rejection of the NPP’s economic record. Ghanaians across the Ashanti Region—a longtime NPP stronghold—expressed fury over soaring living costs, currency instability, and perceived mismanagement under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration. The report noted that many voters viewed Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP’s 2024 flagbearer, as complicit in these failures. His candidacy was further tarnished by accusations that he remained “under Akufo-Addo’s shadow” and mishandled the protracted Bawku chieftaincy conflict.
Corruption allegations also loomed large, with respondents citing a perception that Akufo-Addo’s family and inner circle exerted undue influence over government decisions. This “family and friends” narrative, amplified by opposition campaigns, eroded the NPP’s credibility as a party of accountability.
Notably, the probe dismissed ethnicity and religion as factors in the defeat, with 98% of respondents rejecting claims that tribal or faith-based loyalties swayed votes. This finding challenges persistent narratives about Ghana’s electoral dynamics, suggesting instead that voters prioritized governance over identity.
The report’s revelations underscore a crisis of legitimacy within the NPP, long regarded as Ghana’s most organized political machine. The delegate system, once seen as a tool for internal democracy, has morphed into a liability, breeding disillusionment among rank-and-file members. Meanwhile, the economic grievances highlighted in the Ashanti Region—a bastion of NPP support—signal a broader national frustration with inequality and unfulfilled promises.
For the NPP, the path to recovery hinges on structural reforms. Curbing delegate system abuses, purging corrupt elements, and reconnecting with grassroots concerns will be critical. Yet the party’s bigger challenge lies in rehabilitating its image among a skeptical public. With Ghana’s 2028 elections already on the horizon, the NPP must reckon with an urgent truth: loyalty is no longer guaranteed, even in its heartland.
The report’s leak, meanwhile, exposes internal rifts, suggesting not all party leaders agree on the way forward. How the NPP navigates this reckoning—openly or through backroom deals—will determine whether it revives as a competitive force or fades into further irrelevance. For Ghana’s democracy, the stakes are clear: a weakened opposition risks complacency in governance, but a reformed NPP could yet reinvigorate political accountability.
