The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has observed that even though unity within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is important, it is not enough to guarantee electoral victory as the party begins preparations towards the 2028 general election.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Oppong Nkrumah who is also key member of the campaign team of Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said the bigger battle after the victory of the former Vice President in the NPP presidential primary is how to win back the trust of Ghanaians after the defeat in the last election.
“For us, we think that the bigger challenge is how to win back the love and the trust of the average Ghanaian, especially the first time,” he said.
He explained that the process must begin with honesty and self-reflection.
“It starts with a lot of candour in what we did that went right, what we did that went wrong, and being able to communicate that to the Ghanaian people.
“That this is where we got it right. This is where we got it wrong. If we have an opportunity, this is what we’re going to do differently.”
According to him, the party must not fall into the trap of believing that internal cohesion alone would return it to power.
“As they say, with a broom, if you pull out one, it will break. But if it’s united, you have a formidable force.
“So we are clear in our minds that when we are united as a party, we are a strong force, but that is only the foundation.
“We are not under any illusion that all that we need is a united house. No, absolutely not,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah emphasised.
Dr Bawumia was declared the winner of the NPP flagbearer race by the Electoral Commission after securing 56.48 per cent of the valid votes cast, to lead the party into the 2028 presidential election.
The work of winning back the trust of Ghanaians, according to him, is already underway within the party to reposition it ahead of the next election cycle.
“There’s a lot of work behind the scenes that we are beginning to look into,” Mr Oppong Nkrumah said, adding that “to win 2028 or to give us a very strong footing in 2028, unity is only a foundation.”
The former Minister for Information as well as Works and Housing, highlighted ongoing internal reforms, particularly in policy development, as part of efforts to rebrand the party.
“We are now going through a process of reorganising. If you paid attention to our constitutional amendments, for the first time we’ve literally set up like a policy secretariat by constitutional fiat in the party,” he pointed out.
Mr Oppong Nkrumah said the party is working to ensure that the ideas it presents to Ghanaians in 2028 are widely accepted.
“We’re going through a process of ensuring that we populate it and ensure, therefore, that the ideas we come to 2028 with are ideas that also have a broader base of support within this ideology,” he said.
Addressing concerns about Dr Bawumia’s margin of victory, Mr Oppong Nkrumah argued that the numbers should be seen within context.
“Every election is dynamic, and it’s different,” he said, noting that the structure of the contest itself had changed.
“That time you had four in the final. This time you had about five,” he explained. “Even the candidates were different.”
He said Dr Bawumia expanded his reach across the party.
“He’s moved from 213 constituencies that he won to 232 constituencies,” he said.
More importantly, Mr Oppong Nkrumah argued, the result forces humility and openness.
“For me, one of the good things is the fact that he doesn’t have, for example, a 95 per cent mandate in the party.
“That always causes you to listen and consider all of the other opinions and ideas that are being expressed,” he added. “You don’t go gung ho.”
For Oppong Nkrumah, that restraint could prove decisive.
“It fine-tunes the ideas you go to the table with,” he said. “So it is actually, for me, a blessing.”
