Outgoing Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, has blamed President Nana Akufo-Addo’s leadership decisions for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) shocking defeat in the December 7, 2024, general elections.The NPP suffered a heavy loss, with its Presidential Candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, conceding even before official results were declared.

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John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), secured a decisive victory, becoming President-elect and leading the NDC to an absolute majority in Parliament with over 190 seats.Speaking on JoyNews’ Upfront, Appiah-Kubi argued that the NPP’s troubles began when President Akufo-Addo failed to heed calls from Members of Parliament to dismiss the former Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

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“The blame will go by extension because he [President Akufo-Addo] refused to listen to us. Even when we saw the reality and tried to communicate it to him, he wouldn’t accept anything of the sort,” Appiah-Kubi said.He further criticized the President’s leadership style, describing him as “too recalcitrant” and asserting that his decisions undermined Dr. Bawumia’s chances in the presidential race.

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“He [Akufo-Addo] didn’t do enough to help Dr. Bawumia because if you won’t listen to your own MPs… It was not just one person speaking. We were advocating with the support of more than 96 Members of Parliament,” he added.Appiah-Kubi, who also lost his parliamentary seat to an independent candidate, questioned the President’s judgment and responsiveness to valid concerns.

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According to him, Akufo-Addo’s refusal to act on a collective resolution from MPs demonstrated a significant lapse in leadership.“It’s not as though one person was saying something unwarranted. We had written our resolution, and because we didn’t have other opportunities, we wanted him to hear us. Yet, he refused to listen to any of us. That’s why we can blame him for this outcome,” Appiah-Kubi concluded.

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