Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of policy think tank IMANI Africa, has endorsed Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin’s recent New Patriotic Party (NPP) conference speech as a critical diagnosis of the party’s challenges.
In a Monday, July 21 Facebook post, Cudjoe stated Afenyo-Markin’s address was the sole candid assessment of the NPP’s “existential threat of decay” at the gathering, aligning with IMANI’s unpublished sentiment analysis.
Preliminary findings from IMANI’s upcoming report reveal severe public perception challenges for the opposition NPP. Only 3.9% of analyzed public sentiment toward the party was positive, with negative sentiment outweighing positive by a 3:1 ratio.
The report attributes this to internal divisions, associations with electoral violence, and unresolved leadership questions. Despite this, 84.1% neutral sentiment offers potential for recovery through strategic communication and unity efforts.
Afenyo-Markin’s speech directly addressed these vulnerabilities, urging party members to prioritize unity over personal ambition.
“Our 2024 loss exposed our cracks… Let us rise above the temptation to win at all costs,” he stated, emphasizing that internal discord had damaged the party’s standing. He framed the defeat as an opportunity for renewal ahead of the 2028 elections, insisting inclusive growth and disciplined cohesion were essential for resurgence.
The IMANI analysis draws from over 4,700 social media posts reaching 31 million users across platforms including Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter), covering both domestic and diaspora audiences. Cudjoe stressed these findings complement traditional research tools like polls and focus groups.
The full report, expected imminently, reportedly identifies youth-oriented digital engagement as a key opportunity area for the NPP amid its current challenges.
