A mining consultant, Wisdom Edem Gomashie, has urged the New Patriotic Party, (NPP) to accept collective responsibility for its defeat in the 2024 election rather than attributing it to individuals in the party.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, he noted that the party leaders must prioritise unity and focus on rebuilding the NPP ahead of the 2028 Election.
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Touching on the Akwatia by-election, Edem Gomashie stated that while the NPP was still entangled in internal disputes over who becomes its flagbearer, the National Democratic Congress, (NDC) approached the Akwatia by-election with momentum.
“The NDC went into the elections with self-styled goodwill acclamations and an abundance of resources, while we in the NPP were still fighting among ourselves regarding the presidential primaries.
“This is not a time to blame party officers; it is a time for all of us to work in unison to fix our party immediately,” the statement said.
Wisdom Gomashie added that the NPP’s loss at the polls reflects a wider problem within the party’s structure.
“I cannot say how many Kusasis are on the Akwatia voter roll, but the results clearly show that this defeat cannot be dumped on one person. It is a shared setback, and we must face the reality. Given the Kusasi–Mamprusi debate, some had expected the Eastern leadership to secure this seat as a show of strength, but that did not happen,” he explained.
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Wisdom Gomashie further encouraged the NPP to invest in credible, independent research institutions to shape its strategies and improve future performance.
“There is nothing stopping the NPP from working with well-equipped research outfits to navigate this difficult period. In my opinion, Solomon Kwame Asumadu remains a decent candidate, pending future internal contests. The NPP still has strong foundations, and with unity, we can recover and come back stronger,” he added.
In the fiercely contested Akwatia by-election held on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Bernard Bediako of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) emerged victorious.
He garnered 18,119 votes, while his closest contender, Solomon Asumadu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), secured 15,235 votes.
Read Gomashie’s full statement below:
Akwatia By-Election: NPP must not tolerate any attempt to heap 2024 loss on an individual – Gomashie
Akwatia Bye-Elections: NPP Mobilised Strongly — But Immediate Unity and Reorganisation Required, Not Blame Games
Ing. Wisdom Gomashie writes,
1. First of all, I commend the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who thronged Akwatia and worked diligently in anticipation of victory, but came close.
2. Securing 45% of the votes after a heavily defeated general election should not be a time to apportion blame, but rather an opportunity to quickly close ranks and reorganise our party.
3. A report by Global Info Analytics indicated that “15% of Ernest Kumi’s voters supported the NDC’s candidate, despite NPP voter turnout exceeding the NDC’s by 6%.” This shows that the NPP mobilised effectively, but internal cracks within the ranks both in Akwatia and nationally may not have been handled tactfully. This must be a key reference point for the NPP to analyse and integrate in its reorganisation drive.
4. The NDC went into the elections with self-styled goodwill acclamations and an abundance of resources, while we in the NPP were still fighting among ourselves regarding the presidential primaries.
5. This is not a time to blame party officers; it is a time for all of us to work in unison to fix our party immediately.
6. I do not know the number of Kusasis on the Akwatia Electoral Roll, but the results indicate that the NPP must not tolerate any attempt to heap our 2024 loss on an individual. It is a collective loss, and we must wake up to reality. Based on the Kusasi–Mamprusi saga, we would have expected the Chairman of the Eastern Oligarchy to deliver the Akwatia seat for us; it could have been his first test to validate his Kusasi–Mamprusi arguments.
7. The NDC struggled to deliver this victory despite incumbency advantages; we in the NPP must wake up and patch up.
8. Political novices will start blaming individual figures for this defeat, but it is a terminal report on our continuous failure as a party to recognise that our 2024 defeat was monumental, systematically orchestrated, and not individualistic. Until we reason collectively to fix ourselves, the NDC despite failing in governance will outpace us.
9. I must indicate that reports by Global InfoAnalytics prior to the elections really helped the NPP secure 45%. As a student of statistics, I believe that without that report we might have performed poorly, and I would like to commend the leadership of the NPP for using it. I do not need to confirm whether it was used; it clearly was.
10. While pollsters such as Global Info Analytics et al. may sometimes become government tabloids in shaping public opinion toward their agenda, their reports must nevertheless be taken seriously and acted upon.
11. Nothing prevents the NPP from building the capacities of independent research firms to help the party emerge from this difficult moment.
12. I am of the view that Solomon Kwame Asomadu is not a bad candidate, subject to future primaries.
13. The NPP is still a formidable party; we shall bounce back stronger.
14. Let us work together in unity, with common sense and dedication.
Thank you
Ing Wisdom Edem Gomashie
JKB/AE
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