NDC General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, says the party’s conduct in government and its internal discipline are just as important as winning elections, as the party seeks to expand its membership and strengthen its grassroots base.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, he said the NDC’s growing appeal must not be tied only to its electoral victory, but also to how it behaves and whether it keeps faith with the promises it has made.

He was responding to questions from host Evans Mensah about why the party has opened registration for new members ahead of branch-level elections for party executives.

Mr Kwetey explained that expanding the membership first is necessary to ensure fairness and inclusion in the upcoming internal polls.

“If you’re going to have executives elected at a branch level, you need to ensure that you allow people who want to join the opportunity,” he said.

He noted that several groups are now seeking to become active in the party, including young people who have reached voting age and older supporters who were previously inactive.

“First, we should not forget the number of people who want to join; some people have come to the voting age, and they want to be much more active in the party,” he said.

He added that some may have stayed away from party activities in the past but now want to return. “Possibly, there are people who, in the past, used to be inactive, but now want to be much more active,” he stated.

Evans Mensah noted that the NDC’s election victory has likely made the party more attractive to the public, particularly given the margin of victory.

In response, Mr Kwetey agreed, noting that the registration drive is part of building a more inclusive political platform.

“You want to give room to as many people as possible who want to be on the train, to come,” he said. “And so that’s all part of the process of ensuring that we have a bigger tent.”

Asked whether the party has projections for how many new members will sign up, Mr Kwetey said it is difficult to provide exact numbers.

“I would say projection in terms of numbers might be difficult to have,” he said.

However, he said the party expects strong interest across branches nationwide.

“We do anticipate that a lot more people in the various branches, with a lot of people want to join in the various branches,” he said.

Mr Kwetey said the NDC’s long-term goal has been to make the party more appealing to the public, and that this must be sustained through actions, not just electoral results.

“That truly has been the journey we’ve been on, to have a situation where people find our party more and more attractive, not just because we won, but also because of the way we are conducting ourselves even in government,” he said.

He added that the party is also focused on “ensuring that we try hard to keep faith with promises we’ve made,” and maintaining “discipline within the party itself,” which he believes is part of why more people may now want to join.