Former Chief of Staff Frema Osei-Opare has acknowledged that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) inability to effectively engage its grassroots supporters was a major factor behind its defeat in the 2024 general elections.
Speaking at the University of Ghana’s *Time With a Politician* programme on Wednesday, July 8, Ms. Osei-Opare reflected on the party’s time in government, admitting that more should have been done to maintain close ties with the party’s base and the communities it served.
She said the scale of the NPP’s electoral loss underscored shortcomings in grassroots mobilisation and communication, stressing that party members and supporters were not sufficiently involved in governance and political activities.
“We didn’t have enough time to engage the people we were working for. We didn’t engage the constituents enough to carry them along with us. The lack of space is something I believe contributed to our defeat because there wasn’t enough effort to carry the party’s grassroots and the communities that were served. We didn’t do enough grassroots communication,” she stated.
According to the former Chief of Staff, sustained engagement with party supporters is essential to maintaining public confidence and ensuring that government policies and achievements are well understood at the community level.
Her remarks add to the ongoing internal reflections within the NPP following its loss in the 2024 elections, with several party figures calling for reforms aimed at rebuilding the party ahead of future electoral contests.
The NPP’s defeat ended its eight-year tenure in office, with analysts attributing the outcome to a combination of economic difficulties, growing public dissatisfaction with governance, and declining enthusiasm among sections of the party’s traditional support base.
Ms. Osei-Opare’s comments are expected to fuel further discussions within the party as it evaluates the lessons from the election and charts a path towards political recovery.
