New Patriotic Party (NPP) National First Vice Chairman aspirant Richard Ahiagbah has said part of the party’s defeat in the 2024 general election was due to the neglect and disenchantment of its grassroots supporters.
According to Mr Ahiagbah, the polling-station structures that played a major role in the party’s 2016 victory gradually became disconnected from the party’s leadership.
He said this falling out demotivated grassroots members, reducing their participation in the 2024 election.
“Our grassroots who worked hard in 2016 to give us that unprecedented victory got disenchanted. They got indifferent because they felt neglected, they felt not recognized, they felt not impacted by the power they had worked for,” he said.
Speaking on Citi FM, Mr Ahiagbah said signs of declining enthusiasm among the party’s base were already evident during the 2020 election but became more pronounced ahead of the 2024 polls.
The current Communications Director also criticised the party’s approach to polling-station organisation, saying local structures were often activated only shortly before elections.
He said organisers at the grassroots were left without meaningful responsibilities for much of the electoral cycle and were only engaged when elections drew near. “They don’t have any work until two months before the election,” he said.
Mr Ahiagbah said that if elected to the national executive position, he would begin strengthening the party’s grassroots structures immediately rather than waiting until an election was near.
He said the NPP must maintain visibility in polling-station communities and continuously organise its grassroots members, adding that “the grassroots, which is the polling station constituency of our party, will start working from day one.”
He expressed confidence that a stronger grassroots structure could help the NPP regain power in the 2028 general election.