Kwadwo Mpiani: Akufo-Addo and removal of Afoko and Agyapong caused NPP's problems

Kwadwo Mpiani, former Chief of Staff and minister of presidential affairs during the John Kufuor administration, has attributed the challenges facing Ghana's governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to President Akufo-Addo.

Speaking on Joy News' PM Express on Tuesday, September 26, Mpiani expressed that the party's issues began when its former National Chairman and General Secretary, Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, were unfairly ousted from their positions.

Mpiani, who served as a Member of Parliament for Mampong South in the Ashanti Region in the 3rd Republic from 1979 to 1981, suggested that once they [Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong] were removed, the candidate [Nana Akufo-Addo] had his way, and this has continued up to this time.

The former Chief of Staff argued that problems deepened within the party when Afoko and Agyapong were removed, and the party seemingly shifted control to Akufo-Addo.

He further stated, Unfortunately, some members, including members of the group to which I belong, take pride in this by saying that they were able to remove these people. As soon as the party removed these people, they gave the party to one man who was the candidate at that time, and who is the President at this time, and this is the problem we have in the party, which we are not confronting.

While he acknowledged that President Akufo-Addo is part of the problem, Mpiani emphasized that the issues within the party are collective, and the party's current situation must be addressed.

Mpiani expressed his concerns about the party's trajectory and stated, There have been problems with the party except that those of us in the party are trying to behave like ostriches and not seeing what’s in the party. I was not too much surprised about what happened because I have been telling colleagues that the way the party is going, if we are not lucky, there are going to be more serious upheavals in the future.

Regarding Alan Kyerematen's decision to resign from the NPP and run as an independent presidential candidate in the 2024 elections, Mpiani agreed with Alan that a select few have taken control of the party.

He also noted that many disgruntled party members who have complained about the party's current state may consider joining Alan's camp if the situation doesn't improve. He suggested that party elders may need to engage with Alan and encourage him to rejoin the party.

While discussing the party's future, Mpiani said, Well, we should try to recover. The party has its antecedents which go as far as the 1950s when we became a United Party, and it has a very long history. And therefore, I think we should go back to our beliefs and try to live according to our beliefs. If we do that, we must be able to recover.

Mpiani acknowledged that the party might face challenges in the 2024 elections but noted that it was too early to predict the extent of the impact.

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