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0 Dr. Kwabena Arthur Kennedy, a respected stalwart and former presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has criticised the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), accusing it of betraying the NPP’s storied democratic heritage by prioritising the interests of a select few.
His comments suggest a deep-seated concern that the party, historically lauded as a bastion of internal democracy in Ghana, is rapidly shedding its revered credentials.
Speaking forcefully on Channel One TV’s current affairs programme “The Big Issue” on Saturday, June 21, 2025, Dr. Arthur Kennedy unequivocally labelled the NEC’s decision to fast-track the flagbearer election ahead of broader internal reforms as anti-democratic and self-serving.
He expressed profound dismay at what he perceives as a deliberate manipulation of the party’s foundational processes.
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“As usual, we seem to be acting in the interest of a small cabal, and it appears to me that this hurriedly concocted proposal is aimed at benefiting a certain small group of people,” Dr. Arthur Kennedy stated with unwavering conviction.
His remarks resonate amidst a critical period for the NPP, now grappling with the aftermath of its 2024 electoral defeat, a loss that has significantly shifted its standing from governing party to opposition.
Dr. Arthur Kennedy, known for his principled stance within the NPP since its formative years in the early 1990s as a proponent of constitutional rule, cautioned that the current trajectory risks permanent damage to the party’s reputation for fairness and inclusion.
The NPP, built on principles of the rule of law and internal contestation, has traditionally held itself as Ghana’s democratic torchbearer.
“I think that for a democratic party, and with the record we have, we seem to keep shooting ourselves in the foot. It seems as if the most democratic party in Ghana historically is becoming more and more anti-democratic,” he remarked, highlighting a perceived betrayal of its core values.
The veteran party figure also castigated the NPP leadership for its lack of transparency regarding the findings of the committee established to investigate the reasons behind its 2024 electoral setback.
This committee’s report is crucial for understanding the party’s shortcomings and charting a path forward.
“We lost an election; set up a committee to find out why we lost. When we get the report, we do not want to share it with the public, and we say there are only a few copies,” Dr. Kennedy detailed, exposing an alleged lack of accountability.
He further lamented a perceived bias in access: “We have seen that some people who want to be candidates have access to the report. The leadership of the party is following one candidate around, and all of a sudden, we are hit with a date for selecting a flagbearer.”
The NEC of the NPP recently announced that its national delegates’ conference, involving thousands of delegates from across Ghana’s 275 constituencies, will convene on January 31, 2026, to elect a flagbearer for the 2028 general elections.
This decision, reached at a recent NEC meeting, has ignited fierce criticism from various party stalwarts who argue it deviates from established democratic timelines, which typically see polling station, constituency, regional, and national executive elections precede the flagbearer contest.
Critics contend that this top-down approach, perceived as designed to manipulate outcomes, discourages broader party participation and stifles genuine internal democracy.
Dr. Arthur Kennedy’s outspoken critique serves as a potent warning to the NPP, suggesting that such internal machinations could alienate its grassroots base and ultimately imperil its chances in the crucial 2028 polls.
