Arthur Kennedy blames NPP defeat on failed governance, calls for ‘democratic accountability’
In a thought-provoking open letter titled “Democratic Accountability”, senior NPP figure Dr. Arthur Kennedy has offered a scathing reflection on his party’s historic loss in the most recent general elections—calling for truth, reform, and genuine introspection.
Dr. Kennedy began by crediting former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for coining the term “democratic accountability,” a principle he believes the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has failed to uphold in both governance and campaign strategy.
“In the last election, the NPP suffered, perhaps, its most decisive defeat at the polls since the beginning of the 4th Republic,” he wrote.
He attributed the defeat to a combination of key failures, including poor economic management, corruption, impunity, and the toxic influence of ethnicity and religion in political discourse.
Citing pollster Musa Danquah, Dr. Kennedy revealed that nearly 20% of John Mahama’s votes came from voters who identified as NPP supporters—highlighting deep cracks within the party’s base.
But what concerned him most was not just the defeat itself, but the post-election blame game that unfolded.
“There was a full-scale blame game with senior party officials, led by the General Secretary, blaming the government—mostly, the President,” he observed.
Dr. Kennedy noted that even the party’s presidential candidate and Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, joined in what he termed the “blaming others syndrome.”
He admitted that he, too, had participated in that initial wave of finger-pointing.
In sharing these reflections, Dr. Kennedy called for authentic accountability—not selective criticism aimed at scoring points, but a serious look at the party’s structural flaws and loss of public trust.
