Catherine Afeku, former Minister of State at the Office of the President and a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has described the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections as a “tsunami” that caught the NPP completely off guard.
Speaking candidly in a one-on-one interview with JoyNews monitored by Kumasimail, the former Member of Parliament for Evalue-Ajomoro Gwira urged party members to embrace unity as the only viable path forward.
She emphasized the need for humility and collective responsibility in the wake of the unexpected electoral setback.
“You have to take it with humility; denial will not help,” Afeku said, reflecting on her two decades of political experience. “My values are very straightforward. I’m just, I’m loyal, and I tend to stick to what I’ve started. I’ll be with it through thick and thin.”
Afeku, who has participated in five election cycles 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 noted that the 2024 defeat was unlike any other she had witnessed.
“We didn’t see it coming,” she admitted.
“In my own assessment, I’m from the Nzema area, and I’ve been through all these elections, but 2024 the tsunami we didn’t see it coming,” she stated.
She stressed that the party has accepted the outcome with humility and is currently reviewing its strategies.
“We’ve taken it with humility, done our assessment, and are going through the amendments that are forthcoming. We will go back to the drawing board,” Afeku explained.
Afeku issued a clarion call to the NPP’s rank and file.
“Unity is the only ticket out of salvation,” she declared, urging members to set aside blame and focus on rebuilding.
“It’s just a feeling when you are defeated, you get dejected, and everybody starts the blame game. ‘It’s your fault,’ ‘It’s my fault.’ The first step I have 20 years in the game is to accept defeat in all humility.”
She outlined the necessary steps for recovery.
Afeku noted “First you deny, then you accept, and then you go back to the drawing board. Yes, and then you start putting your stuff together. Right now, the key challenge is being united.”
Source: www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
