As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) gears up toward the 2028 general elections, Ofoase Ayirebi Member of Parliament, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has cautioned t
As the New Patriotic Party (NPP) gears up toward the 2028 general elections, Ofoase Ayirebi Member of Parliament, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has cautioned the party against believing that internal unity alone will be enough to return it to power.
His comments come in the wake of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s decisive victory in the NPP’s presidential primary, where the former Vice President secured 56.48 percent of the votes, earning the party’s mandate to lead its campaign into the next national election.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Oppong Nkrumah, a key member of Dr. Bawumia’s campaign team, said party cohesion is necessary but must not be mistaken for the ultimate solution to the party’s electoral ambitions.
“Unity within the party is important, but it is not enough to guarantee electoral victory,” he warned.
Using a simple but powerful metaphor, he explained that a united party becomes stronger, but unity must serve only as the starting point.
“As they say, with a broom, if you pull out one, it will break. But if it’s united, you have a formidable force,” he said, adding that while the NPP is stronger when united, “that is only the foundation.”
Beyond Celebration: A Bigger National Battle Ahead
Oppong Nkrumah stressed that the party must not fall into the trap of assuming that a united house automatically translates into victory at the polls.
“We are not under any illusion that all that we need is a united house. No, absolutely not,” he stated firmly.
According to him, the bigger task ahead is not simply healing internal divisions after the primary but rebuilding the confidence of ordinary Ghanaians, especially after the party’s recent electoral defeat.
“For us, we think that the bigger challenge is how to win back the love and the trust of the average Ghanaian,” he said.
Honesty and Reflection as the Starting Point
Oppong Nkrumah argued that the process of regaining public trust must begin with honesty, candour, and accountability.
He noted that the party must be willing to openly assess its past performance, identifying both its successes and failures.
“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,” he explained.
He added that the NPP must clearly show voters what it intends to do differently if it is given another opportunity to govern.
Repositioning for 2028 Already Underway
While the primary has ended, Oppong Nkrumah revealed that the party has already begun working behind the scenes to reposition itself ahead of the next election cycle.
“There’s a lot of work behind the scenes that we are beginning to look into,” he said.
He reiterated that unity is only the first step, and the party must undertake deeper reforms to offer a stronger national appeal.
Policy Reforms and Party Reorganisation
As part of this reset, Oppong Nkrumah highlighted internal restructuring efforts, particularly in the area of policy development.
He pointed to recent constitutional amendments within the party, which for the first time have established a formal policy secretariat.
“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 noted.
He said the goal is to ensure that the NPP enters the 2028 race with ideas that command broad support within its ideological base and across the Ghanaian electorate.
Bawumia’s Victory Margin and the Need for Humility
Addressing discussions about Dr. Bawumia’s margin of victory, Oppong Nkrumah urged observers to view the numbers in proper context, noting that every election is different.
“Every election is dynamic, and it’s different,” he said.
He explained that the contest itself had changed compared to previous primaries, with more candidates participating this time.
“That time you had four in the final. This time you had about five,” he stated.
Oppong Nkrumah also pointed out that Dr. Bawumia expanded his influence within the party, increasing the number of constituencies he won.
“He’s moved from 213 constituencies that he won to 232 constituencies,” he said
A Mandate That Encourages Openness
More significantly, Oppong Nkrumah argued that the outcome should inspire humility rather than overconfidence, since Bawumia’s mandate, while strong, is not overwhelming.
“One of the good things is the fact that he doesn’t have, for example, a 95 percent mandate in the party,” he observed.
According to him, that kind of result compels a leader to listen carefully to other voices within the party and consider competing ideas instead of acting unilaterally.
“That always causes you to listen and consider all of the other opinions and ideas,” he said. “You don’t go gung ho.”
A Blessing for the Road Ahead
Oppong Nkrumah concluded that this atmosphere of restraint and openness could prove decisive in shaping the NPP’s preparations for 2028.
“It fine-tunes the ideas you go to the table with,” he said, describing the situation as “a blessing” for the party’s future.
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