Physician and political activist, Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy, says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) owes suspended members and Ghanaians an apology rather than the recently announced amnesty.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Monday, August 18, Dr. Kennedy argued that while the intention behind granting amnesty may have been to foster unity, what the party truly needs is reconciliation through accountability.
“I think the intent is good, but the execution was botched. The unity that is needed is indispensable to the success of political parties, as history has shown. But I think we owe a lot of people apologies, not just amnesties,” he stated.
He singled out former National Chairman Paul Afoko and former General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong as individuals deserving apologies for their treatment by the party.
“We need to apologise to Ghanaians for running the party as if it were a private club that belongs to a few individuals. A party is a public institution and must be run in a way that attracts people,” he added.Dr Kennedy linked the NPP’s 2024 electoral defeat partly to internal divisions, stressing that leadership must rebuild trust with its base and the wider electorate.
“In actual fact, the 2024 elections we lost partly because we were divided. Twenty percent of John Mahama’s votes came from old NPP members who never resigned publicly, so they don’t need amnesty. But those votes must be earned back in 2028,” he explained.
He further described the amnesty move as hypocritical, recalling that in 2008 the party allowed someone without a membership card to become running mate, while disqualifying other members for not having “developed the party enough.”
According to him, the NPP must make peace not only with suspended members but also with the Ghanaian people for what he called “bone-headed policies.”
“The same way you suspended and humiliated them, that is the same place you should go and make peace with them. The apologies are important—not only to Afoko and others, but to the people of Ghana, for policies such as spending $100 million on a hole while children still studied under trees and markets remained uncompleted,” he said.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on August 16, announced a general amnesty for all members who have been suspended or are facing disciplinary proceedings, as part of efforts to foster unity and reconciliation within the party.
