Kodua Blames Party Heavyweights After 2024 Loss, Declares Re‑Election Bid Amid Internal Turmoil

Kodua Blames Party Heavyweights After 2024 Loss, Declares Re‑Election Bid Amid Internal Turmoil

By Justice Baffour Awuah/managing editor,www.dailywatchgh.com-0246 930931

The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Frimpong Koduah, has officially announced his intention to seek re‑election as party chief scribe, insisting that he has been the “most suffered” General Secretary in the party’s history,a claim that underscores deep internal frustrations following the NPP’s defeat in the December 2024 general elections.

Speaking on OTEC FM’s political talk show Dwabrem on Monday, February 23, 2026, Koduah painted a bleak picture of the party’s leadership framework during the critical election period. He argued that the absence,due to ill health,of National Chairman Stephen Ntim at a decisive juncture forced him to shoulder overwhelming responsibility and ultimately made him the focal point for blame after the electoral loss.

Koduah went further to implicitly criticise other senior executives, notably the party’s national first and second vice chairmen (roles historically occupied by Danquah Smith Butey and Rita Talata Asobayire in previous national executive configurations)- suggesting that the broader leadership failed to provide the necessary cohesion and strategic direction when it was most needed.

His narrative extended to imply that key party figures such as chairman Bugri and vice chair Asobayere have been part of an establishment that lacked the unity and decisive action required to secure victory, contributing to internal disarray and blame‑shifting rather than collective accountability.

Commentators have previously noted tensions within the party hierarchy, including a public apology from the first vice chairman for calling for an overhaul of national executives following the 2024 defeat.

Despite the party’s setback, Koduah framed the experience as a source of hard‑earned lessons, asserting that the defeat has only strengthened his resolve and strategic insight into what the NPP must change ahead of 2028.

He stressed the need for “consistency in leadership” and confirmed that the party will retain its current executive team and continue to rally behind Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as flagbearer-a stance likely to further inflame critics who argue for deeper reform.

His remarks come amid intensifying internal debates over the direction and leadership of the NPP as it prepares for upcoming internal elections, with many observers viewing his defence of the status quo as both deflective and a sign of ongoing factional strife within the party.