Former Subin MP and aspiring New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, Eugene Boakye Antwi, has stressed the need for the party to focus on building strong structures rather than relying on personalities when assigning positions.
In an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Mr. Boakye Antwi called for a merit-based approach where individuals are placed in roles that match their strengths, particularly literacy and numeracy for key administrative positions.
“We must be able to identify people and their strengths and put them in certain positions,” he said. “Because the most important factor in an election is to be literate and numerate.”
He emphasised that sustainable success for any political party lies in strong systems and structures, not individuals.
“The strongest political parties everywhere are not built on personalities but structures,” Boakye Antwi declared.
He recounted how he championed this idea in the Subin constituency as far back as 2015, even though it drew criticism from some party members.
“I started championing this agenda in Subin, and people accused me of sidelining and elminating them in 2015,” he recalled.
“I am happy that the general party has now adopted that if you want to be a secretary, you must be able to read and write. Because you are the administrator of the party. So if you can’t read and write, how do we get things done?” he questioned.
Mr. Antwi gave a practical example of the dangers of placing people in positions based solely on popularity or personality.
“We can also have the case that someone is a tomato seller at Asafo but is courageous and well-spoken so she is given the position of a polling station women’s organizer. But without proper training, she cannot deliver. On an election day, she won’t even know what to do when it comes to engaging electorates and other electoral-related duties,” he explained.
He pointed to the situation in Britain, where seven Prime Ministers have been in office in the last 10 years, as a cautionary tale of focusing too much on short-term electoral wins.
“Every politician’s duty is to focus on winning 2028,” he added. “If that is not part of the agenda, then whatever you are doing is not necessary because you lose an election, the frustration, the debt and the pain it brings to party members.”
Mr. Antwi’s comments come as the NPP prepares for internal elections and rebuilds for victory in 2028, with many calling for reforms to strengthen the party’s organisational foundation ahead of future contests.
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