The New Patriotic Party (NPP) continues to grapple with its dwindling political fortunes following a devastating defeat in the recently concluded Akwatia by-election.
The contest saw the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Bernard Bediako Baido, emerging victorious and taking up the seat as Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia.
This latest loss has further reduced the NPP’s representation in Ghana’s Parliament, leaving the party with only 87 MPs out of 276; its lowest number in the Fourth Republic. The setback has sparked worry, disappointment, and soul-searching among party faithful.
Eugene Boakye Antwi, the former MP for Subin and a leading voice within the NPP, has openly expressed his frustration at the situation.
Speaking in an interview on Okay FM, he described the party’s current position in Parliament as unprecedented and deeply troubling.
“This is sad, very sad. A party like the NPP having only 87 seats in Parliament is unheard of. This has never happened before in our history,” he lamented.
He recalled that in the 2016 elections, Ghanaians entrusted the NPP with 159 MPs. This dropped to 137, plus one independent aligned MP, in 2020. Now, the number has sunk further to 87, a decline he likened to the law of diminishing returns at work.
While acknowledging that losing the Akwatia seat does not drastically alter the NPP’s parliamentary arithmetic, he insisted that the symbolic effect is significant and should serve as a wake-up call.
“The seat may not change much in terms of our strength in Parliament, but the decline is worrying. It shows that the confidence the Ghanaian people once had in us is eroding, and if we don’t correct our mistakes, it will only get worse,” he cautioned.
Despite his disappointment, Boakye Antwi urged members of the party not to lose hope. He emphasized that the NPP still has an opportunity to regroup, rebuild, and re-energize its base ahead of the crucial 2028 general elections.
“It doesn’t look good that the NPP, a major opposition party in the country, has only 87 out of 276 seats. But God does whatever He wants. The party has a lot of work to do. It can’t be business as usual. We must go back to the grassroots, reconnect with the people, and rebuild the trust we have lost,” he advised.
For many within the NPP, the defeat in Akwatia is not just a local loss but a reflection of a broader trend of diminishing support nationwide.
As the party faces this reality, the challenge now lies in whether it can bounce back from what many see as a historic low point in its parliamentary representation.
By Prince Ahenkorah