Outgoing Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North in the Ashanti Region, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has attributed the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) heavy loss in the December 7, 2024, general elections to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s leadership decisions.
The NPP suffered a major defeat at the polls, with its Presidential Candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, conceding early in the elections before official results were declared.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Mahama, secured a decisive victory, becoming President-elect and leading the NDC to win an absolute majority in Parliament.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Upfront, Appiah-Kubi argued that the NPP’s troubles began when President Akufo-Addo ignored calls from NPP Members of Parliament to dismiss the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
According to the MP, the President’s unwillingness to address systemic issues also significantly undermined Dr Bawumia’s chances in the presidential race.
“The blame will go by extension because he [President Akufo-Addo] refused to listen to us. Even when we saw the reality and tried to communicate it to him, he wouldn’t accept anything of the sort,” Appiah-Kubi said.
He further criticized the President’s approach, describing him as “too recalcitrant,” which he claimed contributed to the party’s defeat.
“He [Akufo-Addo] didn’t do enough to help Dr Bawumia because if you won’t listen to your own MPs… It was not just one person speaking. We were advocating with the support of more than 96 Members of Parliament,” he added.
Appiah-Kubi, who also lost his parliamentary seat to an independent candidate, questioned the president’s judgement, suggesting that his refusal to heed the MPs’ collective resolution demonstrated a lack of responsiveness to valid concerns.
“It’s not as though one person was saying something unwarranted. We had written our resolution, and because we didn’t have other opportunities, we wanted him to hear us. Yet, he refused to listen to any of us. That’s why we can blame him for this outcome,” he added.
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