A Political Science lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Dr. Jonathan Asante says 60% of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) loss in the 2024 election was caused by former President Akuffo-Addo.
According to the lecturer, the leadership of the former president failed to address cracks in the party, alluding to a kind of leadership described in the bible, which he explained looks similar to that of Mr. Akuffo-Addo’s.
“What happened to them is like what is in Jeremiah, where it is said that the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge. I think Mr. Akufo-Addo contributed about 60 percent of Dr. Bawumia’s defeat, and Dr. Bawumia himself contributed about 40 percent,” he said.
Furthermore, be expressed concerns about the attitude of appointees under the former president’s administration. The politcal scientist argued that their “arrogance” generally contributed to their party’s loss in the election.
“Now that being said, the arrogance that the appointees of government displayed, all these things contributed as intangibles that led to that mass opposition to the renewal of their mandate in the 2024 elections. And so the good will is not there. The structures are weak in the sense that it was more or less like a one-man show.”
The NPP have expressed shock at their resounding defeat in the 2024 general election. The party has set-out to ascertain the contributing factors.
In a communique to the public, the NPP sought to gather views on the cause of their defeat. But some have described such an initiative pointless, given their perception that the causes were obvious.
Recently, the former Vice Chairman of the party, Sammy Crabbe, described the party as weak following their defeat.
Tax components such as betting tax, Covid levy, E-levy, tax on sanitary pads and amongst others were some initiatives of the Akuffo-Add-led government that had been described as burdonsome following their implementation.
Many had called for the scrapping of such tax components, but their voices were not heeded, as the government consistently explained that they were necessary steps to aid the recovery of the economy.
According to many experts and even some prominent members of the party, the role-out of these taxes played to their disadvantage during the election.
Meanwhile, the party has expressed their resolve to restructure properly for the next election, adding that they would also be holding the current government accountable as they govern.
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