There’s a lesson from history called the Cobra Effect. It describes a situation where a strategy meant to produce results ends up creating a bigger, more uncontrollable problem. And when you look at the communication culture within the NPP today, that lesson becomes painfully relevant.
For years, Ken Agyapong built a brand around harsh, confrontational communication. He attacked individuals, went after party leaders, and used strong, sometimes inflammatory language. Whether people agreed or not, the party looked on quietly. Nobody openly challenged him because, at that time, it seemed “useful.”
By the time the 2023 presidential primaries approached, this style had become one of his political tools. It helped him gain attention, mobilize supporters, and position himself as the “fearless truth-teller.” In simple terms, he benefited from the very communication culture he created and not to strengthen the party, but to boost his personal political ambitions.
But here is where the Cobra Effect comes in.
When the party didn’t set boundaries on Ken’s style, others learned from it. They copied it. They normalized it. People like Alex Tetteh, Asomah Cheremeh and some members of his team saw that aggressive communication was a fast route to relevance and influence. It became a kind of political “currency.”
Now fast-forward to today… Chairman Abronye is using the same tactics Ken pioneered this time, against Ken himself.
And suddenly, people are worried. Suddenly, the tone is “too acidic.” Suddenly, there is concern about indiscipline.
But this is exactly what the Cobra Effect warns about!
When you allow, encourage, or ignore a behaviour because it benefits you today, you have no control when that same behaviour comes back to bite you tomorrow.
To the Party Leadership
1. You can’t pick and choose when a bad culture is acceptable.
If acidic communication was tolerated when it helped someone’s ambitions, you can’t act surprised when others use the same style in ways you don’t like.
2. Silence is not neutrality it’s approval.
When Ken went unchecked for years, the silence signaled to others that this was an acceptable mode of political communication.
3. Every behaviour you reward becomes a seed you plant.
The party planted a seed by tolerating toxic rhetoric. It is now dealing with the fruits of that seed.
4. Fairness builds unity. Double standards destroy it.
If Ken used this style freely for years, then it’s unfair to condemn Chairman Abronye for doing what Ken himself normalized. The same rules must apply to everyone.
5. This is the time for the NPP to reset the tone.
Not because of Ken, not because of Chairman Abronye, but because the party’s own image and internal cohesion depend on it.
Finally, the NPP’s internal attack challenges didn’t spring up overnight. They grew quietly, over years, because the party allowed certain behaviours to flourish unchecked. Ken benefited from this culture when it served him. Now Chairman Abronye is benefiting from it in a way that threatens Ken.
The Cobra Effect teaches one thing clearly. When you ignore a problem because it benefits you in the moment, the problem grows until you can no longer control where it hits.
If the party wants to restore discipline and unity, it must crack the whip not selectively, not emotionally, but consistently and fairly.
