Prof Addai Mensah weighs in on Bamba's election as NPP First Vice Chairman

Prof Dr Ochtere Addai Mensah has defended Kwadwo Boadu, popularly known as Bamba, following his election as First Vice Chairman, arguing that political position should not be assessed based on academic qualifications.

In a post shared on X on October 4, 2026, Prof Addai Mensah said a political party should not be treated like a university faculty where academic credentials are a prerequisite for leadership.

“A political party is not a university faculty, and a First Vice Chairman is not being appointed to lecture constitutional law,” he indicated.

He explained that the core responsibilities of a First Vice Chairman are centred on political organisation, mobilisation, strategy, coordination and delivery rather than academic instruction.

Prof Addai Mensah argued that if delegates chose Bamba because they considered him capable of performing those political functions, his educational background should not be used to undermine their decision.

He said the debate over Bamba’s qualifications reflects what he described as an assumption that political leadership must be validated by academic pedigree.

Kojo Bamba speaks after beating top 12 NPP gurus to become 1st Vice Chairman

According to him, Ghana’s political history demonstrates that leadership influence can also be built through organising people, understanding communities, developing relationships, taking risks and delivering under pressure.

Prof Addai Mensah maintained that such practical political skills cannot always be acquired through formal academic training.

According to Prof Addai Mensah, the election of Bamba by party delegates should also be given greater weight than criticism from people who did not participate in the internal democratic process.

He argued that the delegates assessed the candidates before choosing Bamba ahead of Nana Bee and Nana Akomea, making their decision an important measure of the qualities they considered necessary for the position.

Prof Addai Mensah said the real test for Bamba therefore begins after his election, with his ability to deliver on the responsibilities of the office likely to determine whether the confidence placed in him was justified.

“If he fails, critics will have their evidence. If he succeeds, the ‘no university degree’ argument will be exposed for what it always was: an argument from prejudice rather than performance,” he said.

See the post below

Prof. Dr. Dr. Ochtere Addai Mensah writes:

THE NPP’S BAMBA QUESTION: COMPETENCE IS NOT A UNIVERSITY CERTIFICATE

The mockery in some quarters’ surrounding Kwadwo Boadu’s ( Bamba) election as First Vice Chairman exposes a rather uncomfortable prejudice: the assumption that political leadership must be validated by academic pedigree.

That is a dangerous standard for a political party is not a university faculty, and a First Vice Chairman is not being appointed to lecture constitutional law. The job is political organisation, mobilisation, strategy, coordination and, above all, delivery. If delegates considered Bamba the person best equipped to perform that role, his educational background does not invalidate their judgment.

In fact, the argument that someone without a university degree is somehow unqualified for senior political leadership says more about the arrogance of the critic than about the capacity of the politician.

Politics has never been a contest in which certificates alone produce results. Ghana’s political history is full of people whose influence came from organising people, understanding communities, building relationships, taking risks and delivering under pressure. Those are skills that cannot always be acquired in a lecture hall.

And there is another point the critics conveniently miss: Bamba did not appoint himself. Delegates elected him. If people who actually participated in the party's internal democratic process assessed the candidates and placed Bamba ahead of Nana Bee and Nana Akomea, the appropriate question is not, “Where is his university degree?” The appropriate question is, “What did the delegates see in him?”

Perhaps they saw something increasingly important in modern political competition: practical political competence.

The NPP has every right to evolve from a party whose leadership credentials are judged partly by social status and educational pedigree into one that places greater emphasis on political effectiveness (especially if the happenings on the political front are a foretaste of how the 2028 elections will be fought). If that is what this election represents, then it should be welcomed rather than ridiculed.

The real examination begins now. Bamba must prove that the confidence placed in him was justified. He must organise, mobilise, build unity, withstand political pressure and contribute meaningfully to the party's preparations for 2028. If he fails, critics will have their evidence. If he succeeds, the “no university degree” argument will be exposed for what it always was: an argument from prejudice rather than performance.

Ultimately, the ballot of delegates is a more relevant qualification for a party office than the sneer of spectators.

THE NPP HAS ELECTED A POLITICIAN, NOT A PROFESSOR.

Now let the man work.

The Horns of the Altar!!!

— NPP Projects Bureau (@BureauNpp) October 4, 2026

MRA/VPO

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