John Agyekum Kufuor, a former president and founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has voiced his profound displeasure with the party’s current leadership for what he claims is purposeful sidelining.
The statesman, who led Ghana from 2001 to 2009, expressed his frustrations when NPP flagbearer candidate Dr. Bryan Acheampong recently paid him a courtesy call.
Mr. Kufuor claims that despite his prominence and long history as one of the party’s main architects, the party has continuously neglected to consult his knowledgeable opinion on important issues. He emphasized that despite his advanced age, his mental abilities are still sharp and that he can still contribute significantly.
If this party has elders, then I am certainly one,” he lamented. “Have I deteriorated to the point where, after being fed, I claim I haven’t eaten? No, I have not reached that stage. My mind and memory are intact. The least the party can do is to keep me informed, to let me know what is happening.
I have remained silent, but make no mistake, I have been watching closely. If you trace Ghana’s political history, you will see it began with the UGCC. But from 1947 until 1969, our tradition never tasted power. We stayed on the sidelines.
In 1969, I became a Member of Parliament at the age of 30. I was a founding member of the Progress Party. Dr Busia appointed me Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. When Busia’s government was overthrown, I spent 13 months in prison. How many among us today have paid such a price?
From January 1972, we began to rebuild this party, step by step, until 2000, when I led it to power. And now, I’m being sidelined? Ignored? I don’t understand. I truly don’t.
The former president’s comments coincide with the NPP’s leadership’s attempts to forge a new unity after the party suffered a historic defeat in the general election of 2024.
In the meantime, according to several reports, the NPP is scheduled to convene an emergency National Council meeting on Monday, July 14, in response to a petition that Mr. Kufuor filed regarding his alleged exclusion from important party decisions.
Video: NPP has sidelined me from key decisions, national council meetings – Former President John Kufuor bemoans#3NewsGH
— #TV3GH (@tv3_ghana) July 13, 2025
