Former NPP General Secretary John Boadu says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) must urgently reconnect with academia and the youth if it wants to recover politically.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, November 11, he warned that the National Democratic Congress has gained strong influence within the country’s academic circles.

“You can now see that academia, for instance, looks like the NDC is having a lot of them as we speak now,” Mr Boadu said.

The NPP Chair aspirant explained that many academics are not seeking material gain or appointments.

“Many of these people don’t need so much. It’s not about an appointment. Many of them just need recognition. Many of them need that touch, that belonging touch of the party.”

Mr Boadu believes the NPP has failed to build meaningful relationships with scholars who could support its policies.

“Many of them want to be seen as the ones who are even reviewing your programs, reviewing your policies,” he added.

He linked the party’s struggle in academia to its broader weakness in connecting with the youth.

“I know how to deal with these young guys selling our messages, and making our message not too hard, as soft as they want, we’ll be able to get to them,” he said.

“And it is, it is an area that by the year 2028, ages between 18 to around 36 to 40 will be about 60% of the voters.”

Mr Boadu said his approach would be to meet young people in their own spaces.

“The solution is to get into their arena and their interest and deal with them,” he stated.

When asked by host Evans Mensah if that meant bringing celebrities like Shatta Wale into NPP campaigns, Mr Boadu replied, “If possible, why not? You can get other people out as well.”

But he clarified that his focus would not be on star appearances alone.

“Not necessarily a hard campaign, but passing through our messages,” he explained.

Evans reminded him that the party had used King Paluta and Shatta Wale songs in 2024, yet suffered a major defeat. Boadu maintained that the effort must go deeper.

“You need to do more of that by nurturing these youthful people,” he said.

He also dismissed the idea that popularity at rallies was enough.

“I am saying it is not even necessary to have them at your rallies,” he stressed. “

You need to meet them where they are. You need to be able to tap into their interest and not necessarily bring them on your political platforms.”

For Mr Boadu, the NPP’s revival depends on engaging both the intellectual and youthful spaces — not through patronage, but by offering recognition, belonging, and relevance.