Former Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has attributed the party's defeat in the 2020 presidential election to the neglect of the grassroots.

Mr Dan Abodakpi is worried about how the party has over the years deviated from its founding principles that gave birth to participatory democracy in Ghana.

Speaking at a forum organised by some leading members of the party on securing NDC's future, Mr. Abodakpi said the party grassroots are key structures in determining the party's chances in annexing political victory.

"Participation as we thought from the beginning of the revolution was that, it should be inclusive; that the mass of our people from whom power is derived must not only be policy takers but must be involved in policy evolution from the grassroot."

"It is unfortunate that even though we are the originators of that idea (formation of Unit Committees) our party today is not firmly rooted at the unit or branch level. We have become a huge elephant, not the NPP elephant. A huge elephant standing on clay feet," he said.

The Former NDC Vice Chairman indicated that the party must be strengthened at all front by ensuring that it does not only exist as an electioneering machine but a true social democratic body that is able to carry the aspirations and hopes of the people.

Mr Abodakpi said the only way the NDC could secure its future is by returning to its ideologies of probity, accountability and participatory democracy.

"I'm sure if I ask my colleague from Tema Central that I want to visit her branches today, the branches will be there in name but not really there. So is the case in my Keta Constituency, so it is the case everywhere and that explains the reason why victory will be beckoning us in 2020 and come to the finishing line; that victory will be taken from our hands" the Former Keta MP said.

But the former Minister of Trade and Industry urged the rank and file of the party to contribute to the revival of its Unit Committees in the 275 constituencies in a bid to snatch power from the ruling New Patriotic Party in 2024.