The New Patriotic Party’s ongoing post-election nationwide Thank You Tour, though well-intentioned, has unfortunately generated much heated controversy and confrontations within the Elephant family.
Party stalwarts and some prominent sympathizers have raised serious concerns. The use of spiteful language and violent clashes between supporters of perceived factions have been widely condemned, increasing calls for a suspension of the exercise to ease tensions, restore calm, and safeguard party unity.
Some have even questioned the very relevance of a Thank You Tour, given the disastrous defeat the party endured in the recent elections. While these opinions merit some justification, it is my humble and sincere conviction that the Thank You Tour remains a very positive, valuable, and necessary initiative which must be sustained.
The Bible instructs that, in all things, we give thanks to God. Therefore, losing an election cannot be a basis for reneging on our duty to render gratitude to God—especially for a political party that once had, and still holds, the mantra: “The battle is the Lord’s.”
Additionally, our electoral defeat does not erase the hard work and sacrifice of our teeming party faithful and followers who poured their sweat, tears, and blood into the difficult campaign, as did numerous chiefs and opinion leaders across the breadth and length of this country who stood firmly with us. The Thank You Tour is the appropriate vehicle to convey our earnest appreciation for their support and continued loyalty, as well as to honestly apologize for any disappointments.
No political party worth its salt slumbers forever just because an election has been lost. While a cooling-off period is necessary to come to terms with our painful setback, our destiny as a political party in Ghana’s competitive multi-party democracy hinges on how fast we uplift ourselves and bounce back stronger and more resilient, to revamp our party and engage meaningfully in national discourse.
The Thank You Tour, which entails mobilizing and interacting with the party base, offers a credible and convenient opportunity to begin this crucial process of boosting grassroots morale and initiating the political renewal necessary for restoring public trust and confidence in the New Patriotic Party.
Yet, the Thank You Tour can also quickly become a double-edged sword, as recent unpleasant happenings within the party have sadly shown.
From the onset, in a commendable attempt to project internal unity and oneness of purpose, the 2024 flagbearer, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, graciously invited his previous co-contenders for the party’s presidential candidacy to accompany him on the exercise. Regrettably, unguarded utterances from some speakers along the trail undermined this noble objective and flared up latent internal conflicts and grievances.
In the resulting confusion and scandalous trading of insults on social media, some candidates have pulled out of the tour. Admittedly, this development has marred the event, but it has not conclusively damaged it to the extent that we should throw out the baby with the bathwater. So, by all means, the Thank You Tour deserves continuation, and continue it must.
However, serious lessons must be learned. The purpose and scope of the exercise must be strictly established. Without a clear and unambiguous definition of objectives, the temptation exists to go overboard and engage in extraneous activities and conduct that are not only counterproductive but may also lead to aimless distraction. This can only serve to fuel confusion and will come back to haunt us.
Some pundits have hastily dismissed the current turmoil within the party as nothing but a normal venting of anger and suppressed frustration that usually characterize every heavy electoral defeat of a political party. The claim is that in good time, the pain will subside and things will normalize.
I respectfully disagree. As a political party, we cannot afford to sit down hoping for this happy outcome. Usually, in matters of bitter disagreements where relationships are severely strained, delay or procrastination in setting up a constructive reconciliation mechanism only deepens resentment and escalates rifts. In conflict, time alone heals nothing; it only causes neglected grievances to fester.
We must rise up with urgency to subdue the bitter bickering and rancor choking our party and refocus our energies on the greater mission of rebuilding a stronger, more resilient, and vibrant NPP positioned to play its crucial role in Ghana’s quest for prosperity and development.
As part of the rebuilding effort, of which the Thank You Tour is a first step, more voices within the party are expressing a need for the release of at least the recommendations of Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye’s report, which the party commissioned to investigate the factors contributing to the poor performance in the 2024 elections.
While I appreciate the leadership’s position on confidentiality—recognizing that a wholesale release of the full document could cause more harm than good—I strongly believe sharing a summary of the recommendations with a wider community of party stakeholders would serve a useful purpose. This would enhance transparency and accountability, deepen engagement and ownership of the issues raised, and form a solid basis for any constitutional amendments.
At the end of the day, whichever route we take, our avowed aim should be to close ranks and come together in spite of our differences, in a spirit of cooperation and reconciliation. We must begin the honest conversations necessary for forgiveness and healing—without which efforts at rebuilding the party will be futile.
This must also be one of the definite tasks the Thank You Tour should vigorously pursue. Although the tour began on a discordant note with initial fallouts and bad publicity, this does not mean it cannot conclude positively, on a harmonious tone where members of all perceived factions and persuasions within the party unite and speak with one loud voice.
As hostile and aggressive as the current atmosphere may seem, there also exists a healthy force of empathy, loyalty, and solidarity—forces which are often less trumpeted but without which the New Patriotic Party would never have survived the great perils that have threatened its existence.
These powerful values must once again pull us together with common purpose and determination to rise to the challenge of fostering party unity. Our great party, the NPP, deserves and demands this of us as leaders and members. So does our beloved country, Ghana.
Long live the New Patriotic Party. Long live Ghana.
— Kwabena Abankwah-Yeboah,
Immediate Past National Treasurer, NPP
