Political scientist Dr. Richard Amoako Baah has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for its planned “Thank You Tour” following the party’s defeat in the 2024 general elections.
Dr. Amoako Baah, in an interview on JoyNews’ on Wednesday, April 23, questioned the appropriateness of the tour after what he described as a “colossal defeat” in both the presidential and parliamentary elections.
“What is going on is not good. When you lose this colossally, you don’t go on a Thank You Tour. No, thank you for what? For not voting for me?
“Instead, you say, ‘Sorry, forgive me.’ That’s what you do in this instance — and it’s not just for the flagbearer; all the party people should be doing that,” he insisted.
His comments come just hours after the NPP officially launched its Thank You Tour at the party’s national headquarters in Accra.
The tour, led by the party’s 2024 presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, is scheduled to kick off on Saturday, April 26, and will see the party leadership traveling across the country to express appreciation to its supporters.
Dr. Bawumia, the sitting Vice President during the elections, was defeated by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer and now-President, John Dramani Mahama, in a landslide victory. The NPP also lost several key parliamentary seats, reducing its influence in the legislature.
Dr. Amoako Baah has long been an outspoken internal critic of the NPP and has previously urged the party to undertake serious introspection and reform following its electoral setbacks.
However, the Director of Communications for the NPP, Richard Ahiagbah, has stated that the scheduled Thank You Tour, which the former Vice President is to embark on, is aimed at reorganising the party’s members.
According to Mr. Ahiagbah, the 2024 defeat can largely be attributed to party supporters not coming out to vote, and the Thank You Tour is intended to serve as a bridge to correct the mistakes made.
“We are telling you that one of the key things the former Vice President highlighted is that our people didn’t come out to vote. This Thank You Tour is designed to galvanise the party, address the issues that need to be fixed, and to truly regenerate our party, reignite our passion, and work towards returning the party to power,” he said.