Accra, Ghana — The recently concluded 2025 National Delegates Conference of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was more than a political gathering—it was a mirror to the soul of the party. And what it reflected was a painful, cautionary truth: power is not permanent, and the disregard for the grassroots may be the party’s greatest undoing.
In what many delegates described as a deeply symbolic and sobering moment, several former appointees of the NPP—once shielded by layers of armed escorts, protocol officers, and sycophantic praise singers—were seen quietly walking into the venue alone, unguarded, and largely unnoticed.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” said Kwame Asante, a youth organizer from Ashanti Region. “These were the same men who couldn’t be approached even by Regional Chairmen without clearance. Today, they were in the queue like the rest of us.”
Indeed, the power and prestige that once cloaked these indhividuals had faded. The grassroots—those foot soldiers who canvassed, campaigned, and sacrificed for the party—had not forgotten how they were sidelined after victory was won.g
“We gave them power, and they built walls around themselves,” lamented Hajia Nafisa, a polling station executive from Tamale. “Now, they are back among us—but we see them differently.”
The 2025 conference became a theatre of political irony. Those who once issued orders with the wave of a finger were now being searched at the entrance like any ordinary delegate. The fall from influence was not accidental—it was self-inflicted.
“It is a cruel but just outcome,” said a senior party elder who spoke on condition of anonymity. “When arrogance becomes the operating system of governance, the grassroots eventually uninstall you.”
The writer and political observer Aputara Akasoba Jeremiah, in a widely circulated reflection following the conference, noted:
“The arrogance of power fades, but the memory of betrayal lingers long in the hearts of the grassroots.”
He continued:
“Too many appointees in the Nana/Bawumia administration became drunk on power. They built walls instead of bridges. They substituted humility with arrogance and service with selfishness.”
These sentiments resonated strongly across the stadium grounds. Many delegates expressed frustration over years of neglect, unreturned calls, and unmet promises. The disillusionment had clearly contributed to the NPP’s loss of power to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“We risked our lives to bring this party to power,” said Dominic Ofori, a constituency organizer from Eastern Region. “But when they got there, they didn’t just forget us—they disrespected us.”
The message was clear: without the grassroots, there is no victory. Without loyalty to the base, political success is unsustainable.
Jeremiah’s reflection concluded with a sharp admonition:
“In politics, power is borrowed. It is loaned to you by the people—and it can be withdrawn at any time. What remains when the sirens are silent and the motorcades stop is your legacy. And your legacy will be defined by how you treated the very people who gave you power in the first place.”
As the NPP eyes a return to power in 2029, the lessons from the 2025 Conference cannot be ignored. The path forward demands humility, unity, and a genuine reconnection with the party’s foot soldiers.
“We don’t need slogans anymore,” said Adwoa Kusi, a TESCON leader from UCC. “We need sincerity. We need leaders who remember that without us, they are nothing.”
The conference may be over, but the echoes of its lessons will linger. Whether the party heeds this warning or repeats the same mistakes will determine its fate—and that of those who once wielded power as though it were permanent.
#PowerBelongsToThePeople
#RespectTheGrassroots
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