Family And Friends Rule Threatens NPP’s Future – Prof Frimpong-Boateng Writes

Former Environment Minister Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has warned over what he calls the “family and friends rule” threatening the future of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In an article titled ‘Let’s save NPP’, he said the party’s leadership is ignoring the mood of its members and the danger looming over its future.

“I am amazed how members of the NPP National Executive and some regional chairpersons are going about their daily routine as if they do not know the state of the party, the mood of the majority of party members and the potential danger awaiting the party in the near future,” he said.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng criticised the party for failing to learn from its “disgraceful” defeat in the last general election.

Instead of analysing the loss, he said, the National Executive, hiding behind a “spineless” National Executive Council (NEC), has concealed reports and abandoned the tradition of electing a flag-bearer two years before the election.

He called the top-down approach a “beginning of rigging and corruption of the electoral process.”

“The incompetent national executive members and their puppet masters that led the party to the abominable and disgraceful defeat are orchestrating these schemes just because they want their preferred candidate to be elected again, whether by fair or foul means,” he said.

He warned that the party risks low voter turnout among disillusioned members, as was witnessed in December 2024.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng specifically named Dr Bawumia, the current favourite for the January 2026 flag-bearer race, saying the last internal election that elected him was manipulated.

“Weak delegates had their arms twisted, corrupt ones were allegedly bribed, and the cowardly were intimidated to vote for Dr Bawumia,” he said.

He added that this led to widespread apathy and contributed to the party’s electoral defeat.

He warned that the same “family and friends government” mentality is at play again.

“Those who conceptualised and are rolling out the top-down election process will stop at nothing to rig the elections for Dr Bawumia,” he said.

He criticised the Chairman of the Council of Elders for ignoring wise counsel from senior party members like Kwame Pianim, Kwadwo Mpiani, and Dr Agyei Bawuah.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng accused the former President and his allies of controlling the party remotely through the Chairman and creating a biased environment.

“Allowing the January 2026 flag-bearer election to be managed by an incompetent National Executive, and supervised by a toothless NEC remotely controlled by a past President and his family members, removes any level playing field,” he said.

He also highlighted the legacy of the previous NPP government, describing it as a variation of “family and friends’ government” that “controlled the press not through violence but through bribery and intimidation” and failed to curb corruption, environmental degradation, and economic mismanagement.

The former minister called on the party to reject divisive tactics and ensure fairness in the upcoming election.

“If Dr Bawumia cannot read between the lines because of power, fame, and wealth, then I want him to think carefully about his future and reputation,” he said.

He urged delegates to consider whether they want a party controlled by the same individuals who “neglected the grassroots, ruined the economy, and adopted a lukewarm attitude towards the environment” to lead the NPP into the 2028 elections.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng concluded that the party must return to a time-tested bottom-up approach and avoid falling for schemes designed to consolidate power within a select circle.

“Do we want an all-inclusive NPP or one that is controlled by people, including an arrogant but otherwise empty ‘Prime Minister,’ a declared fugitive, and their other ‘Nouveau Riche’ family members and friends to continue to control the Party post January 2026? Niemals!”

 

 

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I am amazed at how members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Executive and some regional chairpersons are going about their daily routine as if they do not know the state of the party, the mood of majority of party members and the potential danger awaiting the party in the near future.

The NPP lost the last general election by a disgraceful margin, and instead of documenting and analysing the factors that led to that painful and disgraceful defeat, and taking remedial measures to prevent future disgrace, the National Executive, hiding behind a spineless National Executive Council (NEC) decided to hide a hastily prepared report from the Ghanaian public.Ghana travel guide

To add insult to injury, the National Executive, again, hiding behind the spineless NEC, took a decision to abandon the time-tested and wise tradition of electing the flagbearer of the party for the next general election two years before the elections when the party is in opposition, and decided a top-down approach of conducting that election almost three years before the next general election.

The incompetent national executive members and their puppet masters, who led the party to the abominable and disgraceful defeat, are orchestrating these schemes just because they want their preferred candidate to be elected again, whether by fair or foul means, so that they would have a chance of being elected again to the National Executive Committee.

Whom do the National Executive and the NEC think they are deceiving? This top-down approach is the beginning of rigging and corruption of the electoral process. What follows a corrupt internal election is aggrieved NPP members and sympathisers not turning up to vote in a General Election, as was witnessed in December 2024.

Do they think discerning NPP members, and for that matter Ghanaians, can’t see the schemes being hatched? Privately, and in some cases openly, people are talking against this pinnacle of corruption and it appears nothing can be done about it. Our fathers and mothers who fought for the independence of the country were not that docile.

The last elections that elected Dr. Bawumia as flagbearer was conducted in a similar fashion, typical of recent NPP internal elections. The whole of the Akufo-Addo government apparatus and the party machinery were mobilised to favour the election of Dr. Bawumia, the establishment candidate. Weak delegates had their arms twisted, corrupt ones were allegedly bribed, and the cowardly were intimidated to vote for Dr. Bawumia.

The backlash was the staying away of hundreds of thousands of NPP members from voting. Party apathy, coupled with blatant corruption, economic mismanagement, disregard of environmental degradation and “do-nothing” attitude towards pollution of water bodies, must have contributed to the loss of the elections in December 2024

Those who think the party belongs to them and therefore do whatever pleases them are at it again. They will stop at nothing in rigging the evil-intended January 2026 elections for Dr. Bawumia. One of the regional Chairpersons of the NPP shamelessly announced recently that they would do everything in their power to get Dr. Bawumia elected as the flagbearer.

The NPP hierarchy and their puppet masters may shamelessly want to add manipulation of the election registers to other corrupt practices they seem to have perfected over the years to conduct the January 2026 one.
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What do they take us for? Idiots? No. This fraud must be prevented. The theft must not be allowed to go on. Those who engineered the “top-down” scheme don’t want clean elections.

I had always believed that in Ghana, the NPP is the only major political party whose foundations are based on the principles of the rule of law, respect for the rights, opinions, and dignity of the individual, fundamental human rights, pluralism, and above all, the separation of powers. The NPP tradition, as far as I know, does not believe that political power should be entrusted into the hands of one individual or a group of individuals and their family and friends.Ghana travel guide

It is pathetic that the Chairman of the Council of Elders has allowed the Party to come to this state. Having done a lot of good for the NPP in the past, It would be most unfortunate for the Chairman to end his political career with the NPP in this sorry state. If I had my way, I would postpone the January 2026 flag-bearer elections and go back to the time-tested down to top approach.

If the ill-conceived January 2026 election is allowed to go on, the NPP stands the risk of another flag-bearer race being supervised by the same biased party machinery which was mobilized to favour Dr. Bawumia, their preferred candidate.

Allowing the January 2026 flagbearer election to be managed by an incompetent National Executive, and supervised by a toothless National Executive Council, removes any level playing field for the other candidates – it favours one candidate, the previously failed flag-bearer.

We endured a variation of “family and friends’ government”, that controlled the press not through violence but through bribery and intimidation. We witnessed the weaponisation of state institutions that attempted to silence transformative voices while allowing patronised corruption to flourish. Instead of development in freedom, we witnessed unprecedented intimidation, economic retrogression, and widespread corruption.

The NPP and its government did not have the balls to curb illegal mining and its attendant destruction of the environment. Now, the party in opposition does not have the moral courage to criticise the NDC that is neck-deep in galamsey, and has taken environmental destruction to a much higher level.

A resurgent NPP must have the courage to process all the above and in the end come out with people Ghanaians can trust to run the party and a future government. Instead, we are busy looking for problems when the solutions are staring us in the face.

My candid advice or suggestion is that the NPP must be watchful. Don’t fall for any diversionary tactics. Those who conceptualized and are rolling out the top-down election process will stop at nothing to rig the elections for Dr. Bawumia.

It appears Dr. Bawumia is enjoying being used to destroy the NPP. If he cannot read between the lines because of power, fame, and wealth then I want him to think carefully about his future and reputation. However, if he is aware of the implications of his action, then I would like to call on the sane majority in the NPP to reject this top-down election purposely designed to elect Dr. Bawumia.

As reported by several news outlets and on social media, on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo hosted a breakfast meeting with the five presidential aspirants of the NPP at his private residence in Nima, Accra.

“The meeting was convened…to foster a spirit of camaraderie and unity ahead of the party’s presidential primaries scheduled for 31st January 2026, and to underscore the critical importance of a cohesive party for the 2028 general elections.”

The invitation by the former President gave an indication that he approves and supports the top-down election arrangement that has brought division and acrimony into the NPP. I am of the strong opinion that anybody who supports such division has no business organising a breakfast or any other meeting to foster camaraderie or unity.

As a Ghanaian saying goes: “One cannot muddy the river upstream and then rush secretly downstream to complain that the river has become muddy and needs treatment”. Such behaviour is the hallmark of a traitor and nation wrecker.Ghana travel guide

My two questions to delegates are: Do we want those who when in government, neglected the grassroots, ruined the economy of Ghana, and also adopted a lukewarm attitude towards the environment and its biodiversity to be in charge of the NPP again going into the General Elections in December 2028?

Do we want an all-inclusive NPP or one that is controlled by people, including an arrogant “Prime Minister”, a declared fugitive, and their other “Nouveau Riche” family members and friends to continue to control the Party post January 2026? Niemals!
 

 

 

 

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