The Member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah, has urged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to pause plans for selecting a flagbearer until it has addressed the deep-rooted issues affecting the party.

According to him, efforts should be focused on internal reform and restoring credibility before considering who should lead the party into the next general election.

Speaking on Channel One TV on Monday, June 23, Mr Boamah criticised the current rush toward flagbearer campaigns, describing it as misguided in light of the NPP’s poor performance in the 2024 polls.

He argued that the party needed a serious reset to reconnect with the Ghanaian people. “I have stated on various platforms that I am against this approach of selecting a flagbearer when we haven’t fixed the party,” he said.

“We need to fix the party to make the party attractive again to be able to win a general election.”

The MP stressed that rebuilding trust with the electorate and reorganising internal structures should come before leadership contests.

He questioned the foundation upon which potential flagbearers were basing their aspirations.

“That is why I said we need a very organised and disciplined party to elect a president, not a flagbearer, because those declaring to be flagbearers and what have you—what are we standing on?” he asked.

Boamah attributed the party’s electoral defeat in 2024 to a growing disconnect between its leadership and the citizenry.

He urged his colleagues to reflect critically on this gap instead of pushing ahead with political campaigns.

“What some of my people forget is that what led to our abysmal performance was the lack of public trust in our party,” he noted.

He concluded with a pointed warning: “We need to build that public trust and confidence again, because it cannot be that you go into an election and produce this result and all you are interested in is electing a flagbearer. Nobody does that.”