New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary hopeful, Eugene Boakye Antwi, has described incumbent General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong as the worst-performing holder of the position in the party’s history, citing the NPP’s performance in the 2024 general elections.
According to Mr Antwi, no NPP General Secretary has been retained after the party lost a general election, and he questioned why Mr Kodua should be treated differently after the party’s parliamentary representation fell significantly.
“Justin Kodua is the worst General Secretary in the NPP’s history, judging by the party’s performance in general elections. No NPP General Secretary has ever been retained after losing a general election, so why should Kodua be treated differently?” he asked.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Mr Antwi compared Mr Kodua’s record with that of John Boadu, who was voted out of office despite the NPP securing 137 parliamentary seats.
“John Boadu was voted out after the party won 137 seats, so why should Kodua be retained after the party secured only 87 seats?” he stated.
Mr Antwi said he has toured all 16 regions as part of his campaign for the General Secretary position, beginning with the Ashanti Region on July 27 before moving to Greater Accra and subsequently the other regions.
He said his engagements with party members had focused on acknowledging the NPP’s mistakes and assuring grassroots supporters that the party had learnt from its defeat in the 2024 elections.
“We have spoken to the people and assured them we have learnt from our mistakes and listened to their plea,” he said.
According to Mr Antwi, polling station and constituency executives are the backbone of the NPP and must be given greater attention by the party’s national leadership.
“We need to realise the polling station executives and constituency executives are the heartbeat of the party,” he said.
He attributed the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections largely to apathy among party supporters, arguing that strengthening the grassroots is essential to rebuilding the party’s electoral fortunes.
“Apathy on the part of party members was the cause of our defeat in the 2024 elections,” he stated.
Mr Antwi also challenged the argument that Mr Kodua should receive support because he comes from the Ashanti Region, insisting that electoral performance should be a key consideration in determining who leads the party.
He cited the NPP’s performance in the Ashanti Region under Mr Kodua’s tenure and questioned why regional identity should be used as a basis for seeking another mandate.
“If you say you are from the Ashanti Region and in your time as the General Secretary your main political opponent got 680,000 votes, Bawumia got 1,334,000 votes, Mahama 679,000 votes approximately, and the NDC got seven seats, so with these results you say because you are from the region you should be voted again, that’s wrong,” he said.
Mr Antwi further criticised the party’s parliamentary performance, saying Mr Kodua had promised to increase the NPP’s number of seats but the party instead suffered a significant reduction.
“He promised to increase the number of seats we have in Parliament; we’ve lost 50 seats rather,” he said.
He argued that party leaders must take responsibility for both their decisions and their electoral records.
“People must be responsible for their actions and their words,” he stated.
Mr Antwi also outlined what he believes should be the core responsibilities of the General Secretary, including building the capacity of party executives, providing training and mobilising resources to support the party’s structures.
“The work of a General Secretary is capacity building, training and finding resources for them to do it,” he said.
Mr Antwi is contesting the NPP General Secretary position against the incumbent, Justin Kodua Frimpong, in the party’s upcoming national executive elections.
READ ALSO:
NPP needs a National Chairman who understands how the party works – John Boadu
My sole objective is to make Bawumia President in 2028 – Miracles Aboagye
