A One-time presidential candidate hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, has urged the leadership of the party to focus on reconciliation and unity as it reorganises towards the 2028 general election.

He said the party could not afford to make the same mistakes of the past that led to the defeat of the party in the 2024 general election.

Dr Kennedy was speaking in an interview with the Daily Graphic following the decision by the party to initiate expulsion proceedings against Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, a former Minister of Environment, after he described the party as " fake" and alleged irregularities in the 2023 presidential primary in a television interview.

He urged the party to reconcile with Prof. Frimpong Boateng instead of expelling him. 

Context

Dr Kennedy said expelling Prof. Frimpong Boateng would be a mistake, citing the party's recent loss of 1.2 million members who voted for John Mahama due to dissatisfaction with the party's leadership and governance.

"You don't build parties by expelling people," he said.

In the run-up to the 2024 general election, the NPP sacked some members of the party for going contrary to the party constitution, while others left on their own volition.  

Withdraw letter

He suggested that the party's general secretary should have visited Prof. Frimpong Boateng to discuss his concerns instead of issuing a statement.

"If I were the general secretary, the next morning, instead of issuing a statement, I would have been in Prof. Frimpong Boateng's house," Dr Kennedy said.

Dr Kennedy urged the party to withdraw the expulsion letter, emphasising that reconciliation is key.

"They should withdraw the letter and stop talking about expulsion," he said, adding that political parties belong to the public, not just their leaders," he said.

"Because you don't expel NPP members who have big followings.

Then, when you get to elections, you beg NDC members to come and vote for you.

That is not how you build parties," he stated.

Economy

Touching on how the country is being managed, Dr Kennedy praised President John Dramani Mahama's personal attitude, describing him as "very accessible" and willing to listen to advice.

He, however, expressed cautious optimism about the economic management of the country under President Mahama's administration, which marked its first anniversary on January 7, 2026.

Dr Kennedy also expressed concerns about the current state of the economy, stating that the country is still in a “very difficult time,” adding that the perceived successes of the first year have been exaggerated due to the poor performance of the previous government.

He called on the Mahama administration to take drastic measures to address the issue of illegal mining, as the current measures had not yielded much result in fighting the menace, adding that the government has to do more in the fight against corruption.

Dr Kennedy emphasised that while the direction of the government's policies was good, more work needed to be done to improve the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.

“On the streets, a lot of people are not seeing changes in their lives,” he said.

He also criticised the government's National Economic Forum that was held last year for not focusing enough on the role of the diaspora in rebuilding the country.

Overall, Dr Kennedy was of the view that President Mahama had made a good start, but there was still much to be done to address the country’s economic challenges.