The newly appointed National Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Abanga Fusani Yakubu, has admitted that the party failed to take security issues seriously enough ahead of the 2024 general election.

According to him, the lapse was among the mistakes he identified while assessing the party’s defeat, before seeking delegates' support for the youth organiser position.

He made the remarks in an interview on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday.

Abanga Fusani said his decision to contest again was informed by lessons from his 2022 attempt and his experience as the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for Aowin in the 2024 election.

“Looking at the lapses and the minor mistakes we made, not taking security issues seriously,” he said.

He explained that he returned to the grassroots after the 2024 election to engage party members and present his vision, policies and programmes.

“I went down there to meet the party people, shared with them my vision, policies, programmes, and aspirations. They bought into it and realised that I was the right person this time round, and they gave me the knot.”

Abanga Fusani’s political journey within the NPP dates back to his days at the University of Ghana, where he served as a TESCON organiser.

He later joined the party headquarters after NPP National Chairman John Boadu asked him to work with him. He served at the party headquarters from 2015 to 2022.

His political career also included an unsuccessful parliamentary primary contest in Aowin in 2019, which he lost by six votes.

In 2022, he contested the NPP National Youth Organiser election but finished second. He said the defeat did not discourage him.

“I never gave up,” he said.

He subsequently returned to Aowin, contested the parliamentary primary again, and won by nearly 70% of the vote.

He became the NPP’s parliamentary candidate for Aowin in the 2024 election but lost by 103 votes, despite the difference between the NPP and NDC in the constituency being almost 6,000 votes.

For Abanga Fusani, that experience reinforced his belief in persistence and consistency.

“One thing that I’ve realised about our party people. They believe in hard work. They believe in consistency, sacrifice,” he said.

He believes those qualities ultimately helped him secure a decisive victory in the latest contest for National Youth Organiser.

“You see, if you are consistent in politics, one sympathy vote counts as well, and with dedication and consistency, people begin to believe every day you are preaching one message, one message, one meaning.”

“They want to try you and see. And this time round, they give me overwhelming endorsement,” he said.