Story by Yaaba Yamikeh, Takoradi
Incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, Justin Frimpong Kodua, has expressed confidence in retaining his position at the party’s upcoming national executive elections in October, saying the overwhelming support from delegates across the country gives him a strong indication of victory.
Lawyer Kodua, popularly known as JFK, said the reception and encouragement he had received from delegates during his campaign tours had strengthened his conviction that he would secure an even wider margin when the delegates go to the polls.
“I am extremely excited about the response from the delegates and convinced that this love and support will be translated into massive votes for me in October to continue serving the Elephant Family as its General Secretary,” he said.
He made the remarks when he spoke to journalists in Takoradi on Thursday at the end of his campaign tour of the Western Region. He was scheduled to continue his engagement with delegates in the Central Region.
According to JFK, the enthusiasm demonstrated by delegates in the Western Region was no different from what he had experienced in other parts of the country.
He described the warm reception accorded his campaign as “amazing” and expressed gratitude to delegates for the confidence and trust they had reposed in his leadership.
Lawyer Kodua further expressed optimism that the NPP could win the 2028 general election if the same support being extended to his candidature was also given to the party’s presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and its parliamentary candidates.
Achievements and reforms
The NPP General Secretary attributed the strong support for his re-election bid to what he described as the remarkable achievements recorded during his first four-year tenure.
He pointed to his organisational skills and several innovative initiatives introduced under his leadership as some of the factors that had strengthened his relationship with the party’s grassroots.
He also cited the party’s “unprecedented and historic” election of its presidential candidate ahead of the elections of polling station, constituency, regional and national executives as one of the major reforms that had earned him the confidence of delegates.
Although the NPP suffered defeat in the 2024 general election, Lawyer Kodua said the party’s ambition to return to government in 2028 remained achievable.
He said the party needed effective leadership, unity, reorganisation and hard work to regain power, rather than engaging in a blame game over its electoral defeat.
Call for unity
The General Secretary therefore appealed to former party executives who lost their positions in the recent internal elections to desist from pointing accusing fingers at others for their defeat.
Instead, he urged them to remain active in the party and contribute to the campaign to wrestle power from the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2028.
Lawyer Kodua reminded aggrieved former executives that losing an internal election was part of the democratic process and encouraged them to put their defeats behind them, reorganise and work together with the newly elected executives to rebuild the party.
“Losing your position forms part of internal democracy,” he said, urging the affected executives to unite with their successors and channel their energies towards the NPP’s return to power.
Delegates back JFK
Meanwhile, some delegates interviewed by the Daily Statesman reaffirmed their support for the incumbent General Secretary and expressed their readiness to retain him in office.
They described JFK as the obvious choice for the position, insisting that, in their view, there was no alternative candidate capable of matching his record and experience.
