Former Minister of Agriculture and flag bearer candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Afriyie Akoto, has expressed concern about the party’s internal cracks, which he believes are making the party unpopular among Ghanaians.
Dr. Akoto compared the NPP’s current infighting to being on a “sick hospital bed.”
During an interview on Starr Chat, Dr. Akoto expressed these concerns.
Though he acknowledged the achievements of the Akufo-Addo-led government in its first term, he reiterated that despite the government’s performance, the masses appeared unwilling to vote for the NPP in 2024.
He said, “In the first term of the Akufo-Addo government, we did extremely well, and if after that term we go to the people of Ghana to renew our mandate and they nearly sack us, then you have to face the reality that there is something wrong.”
Dr. Akoto reacted to questions about the political landscape, particularly the closely contested parliamentary situation, which has witnessed fierce ties in Parliament under the Fourth Republic, with 137 seats held by the NPP and 137 by the opposition, respectively.
Dr. Akoto indicated that the NPP’s presidential votes over former President Mahama exceeded one million votes in 2016, but the wider margin was significantly dwindled in the 2020 elections.
He likened the NPP to a patient in a hospital, stressing that it’s not in a coma but is unfit.
He made inferences from his previous diagnosis, noting that the sick condition of the party had played a tremendous role in the predicament they faced in the 2020 elections.
By Lawrence Odoom