Former Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Henry Kwabena Kokofu has urged defeated New Patriotic Party (NPP) aspirants and their supporters to accept the outcome of the party’s internal elections and refocus their energies on the 2028 general election.
Dr Kokofu said internal contests should not become a source of lasting divisions, arguing that the party’s ultimate political battle would be against the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2028.
“The main competition is the election against the NDC in 2028,” he said in an interview with Hello FM.
He said NPP members who lose internal elections should remain committed to the party and support those who emerge victorious, stressing that political leadership requires members to demonstrate the unity they expect from others.
Dr Kokofu cited his own defeat in the August 2026 NPP Ashanti Regional chairmanship election as an example, saying he had continued to support the party and the eventual winner despite losing the contest.
“Leadership is by example,” he said, explaining that his decision to continue rallying behind the party after his defeat was consistent with that principle.
He also encouraged defeated aspirants not to regard electoral setbacks as the end of their political careers.
“Sometimes defeat is a way of God telling you that there is something better ahead,” he said.
Dr Kokofu further cautioned party members against allowing grievances arising from internal elections to undermine the NPP’s broader political objectives.
He said where members believed they had been unfairly treated, their strongest mobilisation should be reserved for defending the party during the national contest rather than deepening divisions during internal elections.
“That is when we can defend the party when we are defeated through machinations. That is when we can come out in our numbers to protest, and not the internal elections which could derail the party’s chances,” he said.
His comments come as the NPP prepares for its national officers’ election scheduled for October 3, 2026, in Kumasi, after the party rescheduled its National Delegates Conference from the originally announced September 19 date.
Dr Kokofu urged the various factions and aspirants to work toward unity after the internal elections, saying the party’s cohesion would be important to its preparations for the 2028 general election.
