Former Majority Leader and long-serving Member of Parliament for Suame Constituency, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has opened up on the factors that led to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) poor performance in the 2024 general elections, attributing the defeat to a mix of external shocks, economic hardship, and internal party disorganization.
Speaking in an interview with Alfa on the Orange Sunrise, the veteran politician said he has accepted life away from the political spotlight after nearly three decades in Parliament, but his involvement in public affairs remains strong. He revealed that although he has stepped down from his parliamentary duties, he continues to advise the minority in Parliament and contribute to constitutional reform discussions.
Reflecting on the NPP’s dramatic loss of parliamentary seats — from 169 in 2016 to 138 in 2020 and just 87 in 2024 — Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu described the outcome as “a bruising blow to the party’s ego.” He outlined at least five key reasons behind the party’s decline, beginning with global and local economic pressures.
“In 2024, about 60 elections were held globally, and 80% of incumbent governments lost. Ghana was not spared,” he explained. “The COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and our weak economic foundations made the impact even worse.”
According to him, the government’s need to seek an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout led to austerity measures that hurt public sentiment. He cited new taxes such as the e-levy and increased import duties as unpopular but unavoidable moves.
“The e-levy was very unpopular, but without it, the economy would have collapsed,” he said. “Still, these decisions created hardship for Ghanaians, and many of our supporters decided not to vote.”
Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu revealed that 2.1 million people who voted for the NPP in 2020 did not vote in 2024, while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) retained most of its base and even increased its votes slightly. “If those 2.1 million had voted for us, we would have won by about 400,000 votes,” he noted.
He also pointed to internal issues, including poor resource distribution during the campaign, corruption in candidate selection, and a lack of grassroots motivation.
“There’s no motivation for people to go out and vote when they feel neglected. Some campaign funds never reached the local level,” he lamented. “Even small things like not returning phone calls created resentment.”
The former Majority Leader disclosed that personal and organizational mistakes contributed to voter apathy. “Some of us, unintentionally, sent the wrong signals. When people saw leaders absent from campaigns, they felt abandoned,” he admitted.
He further criticized the party’s failure to build sustainable funding structures. “We must intentionally resource our base,” he said. “If 10,000 core members each contribute just five cedis monthly, we can run party affairs without depending on government officials for handouts.”
To address these weaknesses, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu revealed he has proposed 187 constitutional amendments to strengthen the NPP’s internal democracy, improve transparency, and make membership more participatory by 2028.
He urged the NPP to adopt best practices from other political systems, referencing models in the UK and the United States. “Political parties elsewhere operate on professional lines,” he said. “They have administrators, researchers, fundraisers, and volunteers. MPs don’t personally fund campaigns — the system does.”
Despite stepping away from frontline politics, Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says he remains committed to helping reform his party. “We must learn from our mistakes and rebuild trust,” he emphasized. “If we engage our members better and strengthen our structures, the NPP can bounce back stronger in 2028.”
As he adjusts to life after Parliament, the seasoned legislator said he hopes to spend more time with his family while continuing to support democratic governance in Ghana.
“After 28 years in public life, it’s time to give more attention to family,” he concluded, “but my passion for Ghana’s development and the NPP remains unwavering.”
