Prof. Otchere Addai Mensah former Chief Executive Officer of the Komfo Anokye Teaching hopspital (KATH) has defended the election of Kwadwo Fosu Boadu, popularly known as Kojo Bamba, as First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), arguing that political competence should not be determined solely by academic qualifications.
In a Facebook post, Prof. Addai Mensah criticised what he described as attempts by some people to mock Bamba’s election because of his educational background.
He said such criticism reflected a misplaced assumption that political leadership must be validated by university credentials.
According to him, the role of a First Vice Chairman is primarily political and requires skills in organisation, mobilisation, strategy, coordination and delivery, rather than academic expertise in a particular discipline.
“Politics has never been a contest in which certificates alone produce results,” Prof. Addai Mensah stated, arguing that Ghana’s political history contains examples of influential political actors whose effectiveness was built on their ability to organise people, understand communities, build relationships and operate under pressure.
He stressed that Bamba did not appoint himself to the position but was elected by delegates who participated in the NPP’s internal democratic process.
Prof. Addai Mensah therefore urged critics to focus less on Bamba’s university credentials and instead examine what the delegates saw in him that led them to choose him over the other contenders, including Nana Bee and Nana Akomea.
“Perhaps they saw something increasingly important in modern political competition: practical political competence,” he said.
He further suggested that Bamba’s election could signal a shift in the NPP towards placing greater emphasis on political effectiveness rather than social status and educational pedigree, particularly as the party prepares for the 2028 general elections.
However, Prof. Addai Mensah acknowledged that Bamba now faces the responsibility of proving that the confidence placed in him was justified.
He said the newly elected First Vice Chairman would have to demonstrate his ability to organise and mobilise the party, build unity, withstand political pressure and contribute meaningfully to the NPP’s preparations for the 2028 elections.
“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 wrote.
Prof. Addai Mensah concluded that the decision of party delegates through the ballot should carry greater weight than criticism from those outside the internal electoral process.
“The NPP has elected a politician, not a professor. Now let the man work,” he said.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
