The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued a gag order, effectively banning members from publicly expressing their frustrations over the party’s devastating electoral defeat.
The directive, signed by General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong, warns that any member who openly criticizes the party’s leadership or discusses internal issues in the media will face disciplinary action. This heavy-handed stance flies in the face of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech and association and contradicts the NPP’s long-standing claim of being a beacon of democracy.
The statement acknowledges the anger, disappointment, and frustration among party members following their electoral loss. However, instead of encouraging open dialogue to address the causes of the party’s failure, leadership is clamping down on free expression, urging members to remain silent and “promote and defend the good name of the party.”
This directive has raised alarm among the party faithful, with some questioning whether the NPP is abandoning its core principles of internal democracy and free speech. Party insiders say the move is an attempt to shield leadership from accountability as blame mounts over the NPP’s disastrous showing at the polls.
Perhaps most chilling is the threat of disciplinary action against those who defy the order. According to the directive, party members at the national, regional, and constituency levels will be reported to the party’s disciplinary committee should they continue airing grievances in public.
This comes at a time when many within the party have demanded introspection and reform, arguing that the NPP leadership’s failure to listen to grassroots concerns contributed to their downfall. Instead of fostering debate, the leadership appears to be choosing intimidation and suppression.
The directive is already deepening divisions within the party, with some high-ranking figures privately expressing outrage at what they see as an authoritarian overreach. A party member who spoke on condition of anonymity remarked:
“We claim to be the party of democracy, yet our own leadership is telling us to shut up and fall in line. If we can’t even speak freely among ourselves, how do we expect to convince Ghanaians that we stand for their rights?”
The NPP’s post-election crisis has already triggered widespread discontent, with some party stalwarts openly questioning the direction of leadership. This latest move is likely to alienate the party’s grassroots supporters even further, risking an implosion ahead of the next electoral cycle.
At a time when the NPP should be rebuilding trust and engaging in honest conversations, it has instead chosen to muzzle its members, setting the stage for what could be an even deeper internal crisis.
If this is the party’s idea of damage control, it may have just inflicted more harm on itself than any external critic ever could.
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