A senior political science lecturer at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Dr. Jonathan Asante Otchere, has sharply criticised the election of John Boadu as National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), describing it as a “wrong decision” that raises fundamental questions about the party’s readiness to rebuild after its 2024 electoral defeat.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, October 5, Dr. Asante Otchere argued that the considerations which led NPP delegates to reject John Boadu when he contested the General Secretary position four years ago have not significantly changed — yet delegates still handed him the party’s top administrative role.
“The most important portfolio that everyone was talking about was the Chairmanship, and the question that I asked the delegates before the election was based on the polling that had come out putting John Boadu ahead of Boakye Agyarko,” Dr. Asante Otchere said.
“So the question I asked myself and the delegates is that those considerations that made you vote against John Boadu for the General Secretary four years ago, have those factors changed? If those factors have not changed, then what could have been the real motivating factor to show that John Boadu was going to win, and he indeed won?”
“Since those factors have not changed, for me, it was a wrong decision on the part of the delegates to elect John Boadu.”
A Dramatic Political Comeback
John Boadu’s victory at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference, held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, October 3, marks a remarkable comeback for a man many had written off after his defeat in 2022.
In July 2022, Boadu lost his bid for re-election as General Secretary to Justin Frimpong Kodua, polling 2,524 votes against Kodua’s 2,837. Many observers expected him to retreat from frontline politics. Instead, he remained active within the party and, four years later, secured the chairmanship with 2,888 votes — more than he had polled in his losing General Secretary bid.
He defeated former Energy Minister Boakye Kyerematen Agyarko, who polled 2,408 votes, former National Chairman Paul Afoko with 790 votes, and Sammy Crabbe with 41 votes.
Boadu’s journey within the NPP spans more than three decades. He began as a Polling Station Chairman, rose through Constituency Secretary and Regional Research and Elections Officer, and went on to hold almost every major office at party headquarters, including National Finance Officer, National Youth Organiser, National Organiser and General Secretary. He is credited with helping the party establish permanent offices in constituencies and regions that had none, and with providing IT infrastructure for party secretariats.
The Boakye Agyarko Factor
Dr. Asante Otchere, however, believes Boadu’s victory was shaped more by internal political dynamics than by an assessment of competence. He pointed specifically to the defeat of Boakye Agyarko, arguing that Agyarko was rejected not on merit but because of perceptions within the party.
“I think that the only reason why John Boadu was elected is not about competency. It’s about the fact that Mr. Boakye Agyarko annoys the system,” he said on Channel One TV with Nana Tuffour Boateng on Sunday, October 4.
He argued that Agyarko, who finished second, could compete with the NDC’s National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, on issues including communication, articulation and professional pedigree.
“Put the two together and you tell me whether John Boadu comes even halfway in terms of pedigree, in terms of gravitas, in terms of value with respect to Mr. Asiedu Nketiah,” Dr. Asante Otchere said.
The political analyst also drew a comparison between the NPP’s General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong — who retained his position with a commanding 4,486 votes — and the NDC’s General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, suggesting that the contrasting profiles of the two parties’ leadership should form part of the broader assessment of their political strength.
‘Not Ready for 2028’
Dr. Asante Otchere’s criticism extends beyond the chairmanship contest. He argued that the calibre of some elected officers does not signal the level of change required ahead of the 2028 general election, particularly given the NPP’s defeat in 2024.
“At the end of the day, that’s demonstrating to all Ghanaians that you’re not ready to take the reins of power come 2028,” he said.
He questioned the perception that some elected officers were chosen because they could work closely with Flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, arguing that loyalty to the flagbearer alone should not determine the choice of leaders expected to rebuild the party.
“The NPP is at a crossroads due to the internal bickering; hence they need a formidable chairman going into the 2028 general election,” he said in an earlier interview on Starr FM on September 30, before the election was held.
Agyarko Calls for Unity
Despite his defeat, Boakye Agyarko has congratulated Boadu and called on party members to close ranks ahead of the 2028 elections.
In a statement issued on October 4, Agyarko described the election as a reaffirmation of the NPP’s democratic tradition and said the verdict of the delegates must now be respected. He extended his congratulations to Boadu and wished him wisdom, strength and success.
“Internal contests in our party are not battles between adversaries; they are family contests among brothers and sisters committed to the same sacred cause,” Agyarko said. “Today, there are no individual victors or vanquished — it is the New Patriotic Party that has emerged victorious.”
He pledged his support to Boadu, the new National Executive Committee and Flagbearer Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, stressing that the party’s “supreme, non-negotiable objective remains the total, decisive victory of the New Patriotic Party in the 2028 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.”
What Next for the NPP?
The NPP’s new leadership, led by Boadu as National Chairman and Kodua Frimpong as General Secretary, will serve a four-year mandate. Other elected executives include Kwadwo Fosu Boadu as First Vice Chairman, Henry Nana Boakye as Second Vice Chairman, Nana Akomea as Third Vice Chairman, Alfred Kwadwo Thompson as National Treasurer, and Daniel Titus Glover as National Organiser. Mavis Hawa Koomson is the new National Women’s Organiser.
The election process itself was not without criticism. Dr. Asante Otchere also described the National Delegates Conference as marred by delays, saying the party failed to demonstrate the organisational readiness expected of a party seeking to return to power.
As the NPP seeks to regroup after its 2024 defeat, the choice of John Boadu as its chairman will be central to the party’s renewal — or, as Dr. Asante Otchere contends, its continued struggle to present a convincing alternative to the governing NDC.
