NPP’s defeat was because most of their members didn’t vote – Adei

Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Pr0fessor Stephen Adei has attributed the defeat of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 elections to heavy apathy.

He expresses the view that President-elect John Dramani Mahama could not gain many votes because the difference between his 2020 and 2024 figures was just about 200,000 votes.

Prof Adei stated that the defeat of the NPP showed they became blind to the concerns raised by even their own members about how the economy was being managed.

Speaking on the Hot Issues on TV3 Sunday December 22, he said “Let me tell you that NDC didn’t win the elections, that is systematic in the past one also. In Ghana always the government loses the election. Mahama only got about 200,000 votes above what he got in 2020 which means that even with the biological increase of NDC members he didn’t get much, partly not because of his fault but because of people being disillusioned and saying they won’t vote. Much of the loss was that NPP members say enough is enough.

“It shows that when people are in power they become blind, they couldn’t sense how their own members were angry with what has happened to the economy.”

Prof Adei further cautioned President-elect John Dramani Mahama against any move to remove the Chair of the Electoral Commission (EC) Jean Adukwei Mensa from office.

Prof Adei stated that it would be disastrous for Mr Mahama to do so.

He also cautioned the incoming Mahama administration against any move to remove Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornor especially when there is no basis for such action.

He expresses the view that Ghanaians will pay a heavy price if President-elect John Mahama removes the Chief Justice.

He said “It will be disastrous, he will be consolidating a very bad practice which will not augur well for Ghana’s future whereby every president basically appoints a new EC…we must find a way not to destroy our institutions.”

He added, “As for the Supreme Court Chief Justice, if they touch the Chief Justice by political removal and not because she has done something that requires impeachment and goes through an impeachment process, we will pay a heavy price for it, not because of her but because of the underminers of the system.”