Making National Chairman leader best for party growth — Experts
The decision by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to make the National Chairman the party's leader at all times is a step in the right direction, a political scientist and a legal luminary of the party have separately stated.
They said that the decision would allow the party and its structures to function effectively and enable the party to grow, while the President concentrates on the business of governance.
The two, the Director of Democracy Project, Dr John Osae-Kwapong and Joseph Ayikoi Otoo, a stalwart of the NPP, were sharing their views on the outcome of the party’s annual delegates conference held at the University of Ghana Stadium last Saturday.
Conference
The NPP held its National Annual Delegates Conference at the University of Ghana Stadium, Legon, in Accra, last Saturday, on the theme: "Rebuilding Together with Our Values."
The conference, attended by thousands of delegates, party executives and grassroots members, aimed to regroup and chart a path forward for the NPP after its defeat in the 2024 general election.
Distinct lines
Dr Osae-Kwapong said the decision was a step in the right direction, insisting that it helped to keep the lines distinct between party and government when in power and between party and an unsuccessful flag bearer when in opposition.
“The flag bearer serves a particular role to try and win the election. If elected, the President primarily focuses on governing, not party business. That should be left to party executives.
An unsuccessful candidate can play the role of opposition leader without being leader of the party,” he stated.
He noted that the issue has regularly come up in intraparty discussions and “I'm assuming the party realised the time to address it is now.”
Ayikoi
Mr Ayikoi Otoo said he proposed that the chairman of the party become the party's leader at all times.
“What we had was the chairman being the leader until a flag bearer is elected, who then takes over and hands over the role to the chairman, when he loses the contest.
“However, when the flag bearer wins the presidential contest and becomes the President, he continues to hold office until his tenure ends,” he noted.
Again, Mr Ayikoi Otoo explained that as President and leader of the party, he decided party matters and government issues.
He said that, in such a situation, the President did not show respect to the chairman and leadership of the party.
“With the previous arrangement, the party that produces the President looks weak and irrelevant in the face of the President. The proposal is to allow the party to grow and chart its course,” he stressed.
Mr Ayikoi Otoo noted that the expansion, as explained, was a limited one pending the one man one vote, “which will happen at the next delegates’ conference in about two years.”
He said that by the transitional provisions, a limited expansion for the election of a flag bearer by January 31, 2026, comes into force immediately.
That, he said, meant that all the new delegates, such as former Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, former Members of Parliament, former ministers, former deputies, among others, were eligible and could vote in January 2026.
On his part, Dr Osae-Kwapong said his preference had always been an electoral college where all registered party members participated in all internal elections, including choosing a flag bearer.
“While I applaud the party's effort in expanding the electoral college, I believe it fails to address two key issues of the current system — the undue influence of the use of monetary and non-monetary incentives to get delegates' support and the unchecked power of delegates,” he said.
As to whether the tenure of the current executives and by which time the procedures for amendment would have been concluded before the election of the flag bearer, Dr Osae-Kwapong said ideally, that would be the best approach.
“However, the party reserves the right to decide how to proceed. The most important thing is the integrity of the process and outcome,” he said.
Conference
Dr Osae-Kwapong described the conference as a successful one.
He said it was essential to hear speeches that emphasise party unity.
“A heavy electoral defeat often leads to finger-pointing, creating division.
If the party wants to bounce back quickly, party unity would be key,” he said.
