NPP's Core Values Eroded in 2007: Rashid Tanko Computer Explains

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications GIFEC and Deputy Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress NDC Rashid Tanko Computer has argued that the New Patriotic Party NPP began losing its core values in 2007. He traced the decline to the party’s decision to elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo as flag bearer instead of Alan Kyerematen. Mr Tanko Computer described the NPP formed in 1992 as a strong and disciplined political force that posed a serious challenge to the NDC. He recalled that even after losing the 1992 presidential election, the NPP remained formidable, producing a well known report on the elections and maintaining a strong presence in national politics despite boycotting the parliamentary polls at the time. According to him, figures such as Professor Albert Adu Boahen former President J A Kufuor and other early party leaders helped build a party that was respected even while in opposition. He noted that the performance of NPP MPs after entering Parliament in 1996 made governance difficult for the NDC and contributed to the party’s victory in the 2000 elections. However, Mr Tanko Computer stressed that things began to change in 2007 during the NPP flag bearer race. He explained that the emergence of 17 aspirants alone was not the issue, but rather the calibre of candidates and the final choice the party made. He argued that Alan Kyerematen was widely seen as a strong and popular candidate at the time, adding that within the NDC there was concern about facing him in a general election. Mr Tanko Computer claimed that the election of Nana Akufo Addo marked the beginning of deep internal tensions within the NPP. He referenced warnings he attributed to then President J A Kufuor, who cautioned party leaders against choosing a candidate who would bring tension and unrest to the party. According to him, those warnings were ignored, leading to internal conflicts, including the removal of party executives, which he described as evidence of growing instability. Mr Tanko Computer further argued that the NPP has now become fragmented, with what he described as active and virtual members within the party. He explained that the virtual group refers to members who feel sidelined and disconnected from the current leadership. He criticised the party’s recent strategy of electing a presidential candidate before reorganising the party, describing it as unusual and unhealthy. He questioned how party executives who led the NPP to secure only 38 percent in the 2024 elections could oversee such a process without first rebuilding the party. Mr Tanko Computer said these developments show how far the NPP has moved from the strong and united party it once was.