Former Ashanti Bekwai MP and Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, says his reluctant return to party duties has helped stabilise the New Patriotic Party (NPP) during a difficult period. He said the processes he has chaired have restored trust and confidence among party members.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, Mr Osei Owusu revealed that he had deliberately withdrawn from active politics after the 2025 elections and declined involvement in party affairs, aside from a few personal matters.
“I totally recused myself from any political activity after the 2025 elections,” he said, adding that he had taken his retirement “very seriously.”
However, he explained that his resolve was tested when he was invited to chair the party’s National Conference at a time of internal strain and uncertainty. He said the situation forced him to reflect on whether stepping aside was fair to the party.
“The first one was an invitation to chair the National Conference,” he said. “I asked myself, would it be fair to abandon the NPP in this time of need?”
Mr Osei Owusu said he accepted the role with a clear objective—to oversee an inclusive process that would be owned by all participants and help strengthen party unity.
“I accepted to do it with a conviction that if it must be done, it must be done well,” he said, stressing the need for every participant to feel a sense of ownership of the conference.
He said he was satisfied with the outcome and did not expect to take on any further responsibilities until he received another call from party leadership.
“In fact, this one I wasn’t expecting,” he said, referring to his subsequent appointment as chair of the party’s presidential election committee.
Mr Osei Owusu said he initially resisted the request, reminding party leaders that he had retired from active politics, but was persuaded by appeals centred on the party’s stability and survival.
“They said, ‘Mister Speaker, we know, but we think that you’re the one who can do it,’” he recalled, adding that there are moments when “if strong people don’t stand up, the whole structure may collapse.”
He said he accepted the assignment with the aim of delivering a process that would be widely accepted as fair, despite pressure and competing interests.
“I felt persuaded that we must go and deliver a result which everyone would accept—that we did a very good job,” he said, acknowledging that some difficult decisions had been unavoidable.
Mr Osei Owusu noted that although the task has been challenging, the committee has remained guided by fairness and inclusivity.
“So far, it’s not been easy, but I think that we have managed to build sufficient confidence among the party people,” he said.
