NPP flagbearer hopeful Kwabena Agyepong has renewed calls for the New Patriotic Party to return to the core principles that guided its formation, arguing that the party has strayed from its values of volunteerism and selfless service.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Thursday, 20 November, Mr. Agyepong said the theme of his campaign, “NPP Going Back to Our Roots,” reflects a deliberate effort to remind party members of the commitment and sacrifice that once defined the NPP’s political identity.
“That is why the theme of my campaign is NPP Going Back to Our Roots. When I say ‘root,’ when politics was a no-go calling,” he explained, stressing that the party’s founders operated under harsh conditions. “If you look at our forefathers, our forebearers, the sacrifices they were making, they were under military dictatorship. It took courage, it took determination, and a large dose of volunteerism and commitment to bring this party this far.”
Mr. Agyepong argued that the early tradition of service and integrity has weakened over time, noting that the party’s original leaders demonstrated an unwavering commitment to democracy without expecting personal gain.
“There was no essence of materialism; we were never ruled by money; it was all by merit,” he said. “And I think we have lost our way a bit as a political tradition and that is the message I’ve been communicating to our delegates—that we need to restore all the cherished values, the values that made us a party.”
He added that these values once made the NPP a source of national pride because it was filled with “great people who were prepared to sacrifice their lives just for the development of democracy.”
According to him, this spirit has diminished considerably in recent years, and it is this decline he is determined to address. Linking his message to his own political journey, Mr. Agyepong said he witnessed firsthand the sense of dedication that drove the party in its early years.
“I want to use myself, my life in politics, because I was pretty young in 1992, but I was there when it happened—that dedication, that will to do something for your country, not always to look at what you get out of our system,” he noted.
He emphasised that restoring such values is essential for both the party’s renewal and the nation’s democratic development. “That is what I want to inculcate in the generations unborn,” he concluded.