The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Presidential Elections Committee, Joseph Osei Owusu, has cautioned that the party risks further decline if urgent steps are not taken to restore discipline and strong leadership within its ranks.
According to him, growing indiscipline and lack of firmness at the top have weakened the party’s internal cohesion and reduced its attractiveness to supporters across the country.
Speaking on Asempa FM on Friday, January 23, Mr. Osei Owusu said the NPP needs a National Chairman with authority and decisiveness similar to that of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah.
“We need a chairman like Asiedu Nketiah. The consistency and firmness he shows are what keep the NDC together,” he stated.
He noted that the absence of strict enforcement of party rules has emboldened misconduct among members, creating divisions that have pushed some supporters to defect to the opposition party.
“It got to a point where many people are leaving the NPP to join the NDC, and the numbers keep increasing. That tells you that something is attracting them,” he said.
Mr. Osei Owusu attributed the NDC’s growing appeal largely to the leadership style of Mr. Asiedu Nketiah, whom he described as uncompromising when it comes to discipline and accountability.
“If you are there and you want to be stubborn, he will deal with you. That level of seriousness brings order and makes the party attractive,” he added.
The NPP elections committee chairman further proposed that the party reconsider its approach to electing national executives, suggesting that internal elections may not produce the type of leader the party urgently requires.
“To bring the appeal back, discipline must be restored first. If we continue with elections now, we may not get the person we need at this critical time,” he explained.
Instead, he called for a deliberate search for a capable leader who can unify the party, enforce discipline, and reposition it for future electoral contests.
Mr. Osei Owusu also endorsed former Energy Minister Boakye Kyeremateng Agyarko as a suitable candidate to lead the party, describing him as firm, experienced, and widely respected within the NPP.
“If Boakye Agyarko decides to lead the party, I will abandon everything I’m doing to support him. He is the person who can restore discipline and bring everyone back together,” he said.
His remarks come at a time when the NPP continues to grapple with internal tensions and calls for reforms following recent political developments, with party faithful increasingly demanding stronger leadership and unity ahead of the next general elections.
