Former Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has delivered a blistering assessment of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), declaring that the party has strayed far from its founding principles and risks further electoral collapse if urgent reforms are not undertaken.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on Monday, January 12, 2026, the respected heart surgeon and statesman said the NPP he once proudly served no longer exists in its true form.
According to him, the current structure of the party represents a distortion of its original values and vision.
“The NPP I see today is not the NPP I knew. What we have now is a fake version,” Prof Frimpong-Boateng stated. He argued that while committed and principled members still exist within the party, they have been sidelined and stripped of influence, allowing questionable practices to dominate internal decision-making.
The former minister distanced himself from the present leadership culture of the party when asked if he still considered himself an active member. His remarks suggested deep disappointment with what he described as a compromised organisation that no longer upholds accountability, integrity, and fairness.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng raised particularly strong concerns about the NPP’s internal democratic processes, especially the selection of its most recent presidential candidate. He alleged that the flagbearer election was marred by widespread inducement, intimidation, and manipulation of delegates.
“What happened during the flagbearer election was worrying. Delegates were coerced, bribed and intimidated. That is how corruption begins, and it should never be tolerated in any serious political party,” he warned.
Linking these internal challenges to the party’s electoral fortunes, Prof Frimpong-Boateng blamed unresolved leadership failures for the NPP’s heavy defeat in the last general elections. He cautioned that refusing to confront the real causes of that loss could further weaken the party’s chances in future polls.
“We lost badly, yet the issues that caused the defeat are being ignored. If the party repeats the same approach, the outcome will be disastrous,” he cautioned, describing the situation as a critical turning point for the party.
Addressing speculation that his criticism was directed at former Vice President and 2024 NPP flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Prof Frimpong-Boateng clarified that his comments were not personal attacks. While acknowledging Dr Bawumia’s character, he questioned whether competence and firmness had been prioritised enough in leadership decisions.
“Dr Bawumia is a good and decent man, but being nice alone is not enough to lead a country like Ghana,” he said.
His comments come at a sensitive time, just weeks ahead of the NPP’s presidential primaries scheduled for January 31, 2026. With tensions already high within the party, Prof Frimpong-Boateng’s remarks have intensified public debate about the NPP’s internal governance, credibility, and readiness to rebuild.
As the party prepares for another crucial chapter, his warning serves as a stark reminder that unresolved corruption, weak leadership accountability, and internal division could further erode the NPP’s standing with the Ghanaian electorate.
