'NPP's 2024 defeat not news' - Justin Frimpong Kodua explains

The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Kodua, has downplayed the party’s loss in the 2024 general elections, describing the outcome as consistent with Ghana’s electoral history, rather than an unexpected development.

Speaking in a one-on-one interview on Metro TV on April 20, 2026, Kodua acknowledged the defeat was disappointing but argued that it followed a longstanding political pattern.

“If you look at the historical electoral results, it is no news. Since 1992, every political party stays in office for about eight years before power changes,” he said.

According to him, while the loss itself may not be surprising, the scale and dynamics of the defeat warrants deeper analysis.

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He noted that although the NPP had hoped to retain power, the results reflected broader political cycles seen in Ghana’s democratic history.

Kodua added that the party has already undertaken significant steps to assess its performance, including setting up a fact-finding committee chaired by Prof Aaron Mike Oquaye to engage party members and the general public across all 16 regions and 276 constituencies.

He stressed that the NPP has not remained idle since leaving office.

He indicated that internal reforms and reorganisation efforts are underway.

These include constitutional amendments and preparations for future elections.

The party has also elected former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia as its flagbearer for the 2028 Election.

'‎Some judges have reduced themselves to remand officers' - Kodua

Reacting to criticism that the party has failed to learn lessons from the defeat, Kodua rejected such claims, insisting that the NPP is actively working to identify and address the causes of its electoral loss.

A key factor, he said, was voter apathy among the party’s base.

He disclosed that the NPP lost nearly two million votes between the 2020 and 2024 elections, while the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) saw only a marginal increase of about 100,000 votes.

“It will be safe to conclude that we lost the elections because people who voted for us did not turn up in 2024,” he explained.

He further dismissed suggestions that the NDC’s victory was driven by a significant surge in its support base.

Kodua attributed part of the defeat to external factors, including global economic challenges that affected incumbent governments worldwide.

“Many governments lost elections between 2022 and 2024 due to economic hardships,” he noted.

He emphasised the need for unity within the party, cautioning against internal blame games, while urging party members to focus on rebuilding and preparing for the future.

“As a party, we cannot continue accusing ourselves. We need to move forward, identify the problems, and take steps to correct them,” he said.

VPO/AE

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