New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Chairman aspirant John Boadu has openly declared his support for National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia to become president, in an unusual cross-party endorsement that is likely to generate debate within Ghana’s political circles.
Boadu, a former NPP General Secretary, made the declaration during an interview with Kwame Tanko on the Ghana Se Sen Morning Show on Lawson TV/Radio.
“I support Asiedu Nketia for the presidency,” Boadu said.
He explained that his support was largely based on Asiedu Nketia’s extensive political experience, noting that the veteran NDC politician had “gone through the mill” and accumulated considerable experience in Ghanaian politics.
Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito, has spent decades at the centre of NDC politics and currently serves as the party’s National Chairman.
Boadu’s endorsement is particularly striking because he is seeking to lead the NPP as National Chairman at a time when the party is preparing to reposition itself for the next general election.
The NPP and NDC have been Ghana’s dominant political rivals for decades, making an endorsement of the NDC’s National Chairman by a senior NPP figure and chairmanship contender an unusual political development.
Party members and the politics of power
Boadu also used the interview to raise concerns about the relationship between political parties, their grassroots structures and governments formed by those parties.
He argued that Ghana’s constitutional framework does not adequately recognise the role and interests of political parties despite their central place in the country’s democratic system.
According to him, party activists who work to bring their parties into government can sometimes feel abandoned once their party assumes power and appointments are made.
He cited situations where grassroots party members who supported individuals before they became ministers or government officials later found themselves distanced from those same officials.
Boadu said some party activists could even be accused of corruption by government appointees despite having worked closely with and supported those individuals before they attained public office.
He also stressed the need for political parties to deliberately develop their younger members and give them opportunities to acquire political and administrative experience.
For Boadu, effective party leadership requires an appreciation of the structures, sacrifices and challenges confronting grassroots members over many years.
Drawing on his own political experience
The NPP chairmanship aspirant also pointed to his own long involvement in party politics, arguing that his political journey had equipped him with substantial knowledge of the workings of political parties.
He said his years in politics had not been motivated by a desire to accumulate wealth, but by service, party development and an understanding of the challenges facing political actors and grassroots supporters.
His endorsement of Asiedu Nketia comes against the backdrop of a broader argument about political experience, party structures and the need to strengthen political organisations beyond individual electoral victories.
Boadu previously served as General Secretary of the NPP before losing the position to Justin Kodua Frimpong in the party’s 2022 national executive elections.
His latest comments are likely to attract attention within both the NPP and NDC, particularly as Ghana’s major political parties begin positioning themselves for the next presidential contest.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
