An aspiring national chairman, David Kankam Boadu, has raised concerns that many candidates vying for national leadership positions within the party lack a genuine understanding of the grassroots.
He contends that a significant number of these hopefuls are not sufficiently humble, selfless, or committed to the party’s core members.
Mr. Kankam Boadu expressed frustration with how some elected party leaders neglect their constituents after winning.
He also acknowledged that some delegates contribute to this problem by demanding money from aspirants, a practice that, according to him, forces candidates to take out loans to finance their campaigns.
He notes that once elected, these leaders often disregard the very members who made financial demands of them, particularly when those members later need assistance.
Elaborating on this point, David Kankam Boadu stated, “It takes humility to be part of the grassroots. I am popular within the grassroots base because I understand them and I don’t ignore their calls. Ninety-nine point nine percent of leaders don’t respond to the calls of grassroots members. The reason is that some delegates see the contest as a ‘cocoa season’ and make monetary demands of the aspirants who, in turn, go for loans to contest. When they win the contest with the support of their supporters, they begin to ignore you, especially when you need financial support. Imagine your child is sick and you need money to take him or her to the hospital, and you go to the person from whom you demanded money before voting for them—they will ignore you.”
He advised delegates to vote for leaders who are genuinely committed and selfless, ensuring they will always have access to them.
“David Kankam Boadu does not ignore the grassroots. They know I understand them and always want to listen to them. I am not an arrogant person; I am always with them. When you ignore the grassroots, they will also ignore you. I will continue to be there for them when I am elected because when they get access to you, it will resolve many problems for the party.”
When asked what he would do to encourage former members to return, Boadu criticized the party’s recent amnesty, stating that the conditions attached were not ideal. He believes the party should have offered an unconditional amnesty to welcome back all aggrieved members, as the party needs to increase its numbers to be competitive.
“Elections are about numbers, and the NPP should have extended its hands to all aggrieved members who left without any form of conditionalities attached. The ‘thumb’ is what gives you power, and before you can get people to vote for you, you have to convince them. Doing that requires more numbers, and so as Chairman, I will extend a hand to all party members, apologize to them if need be, and ensure that we get all our members who left back so we will get the numbers to forge ahead in unity and secure victory in 2028.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
