The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, has called for a review of the party’s internal rules to reduce the influence of money in its primaries, warning that excessive monetisation threatens the party’s democratic foundations.
Speaking on Joy News Desk on Monday, February 2, Mr Owusu-Agyeman said increasing the size of the electoral college could significantly reduce practices such as inducement, which he described as inconsistent with democratic principles.
Hackman Owusu-Agyeman
According to him, expanding the electoral college remains central to addressing the problem, although recent attempts have faced challenges due to changes in party membership over time.
“We tried to expand the electoral college, but because many members have passed on over the years, the numbers remained almost the same,” he explained.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman stressed that political leadership should not be determined by financial strength, cautioning against systems that allow a few individuals with money to dominate party decisions.
“It should not be about who has money. If leadership is reduced to just a handful of people, then that is not democracy,” he said.
He argued that reforms must be gradual but deliberate, pointing to practices in other jurisdictions where party elders assess the competence and capacity of aspirants before opening the process to a wider electorate.
“They look at capability and capacity before the process goes to the wider group. That helps protect the party from undue influence,” he stated.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman warned that unchecked monetisation could ultimately cost the party its independence.
“Before you realise, the party has been bought over, and we do not intend to sell our party,” he said.
He added that although reforms may come at a cost, redirecting resources towards empowering party supporters would deliver long-term benefits.
“If the money spent is redirected to the people, it can help promote self-reliance and strengthen the party,” he concluded.
Source: Deborah Okailey-Quarcoo
