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NPP began losing its core in 2007 after Akufo Addo choice- Rashid Tanko Computer
Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications GIFEC and Deputy Director of Elections for the National Democratic Congress NDC Rashid Tanko Computer has argued that the New Patriotic Party NPP began losing its core values in 2007.
He traced the decline to the party’s decision to elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo as flag bearer instead of Alan Kyerematen.
Mr Tanko Computer described the NPP formed in 1992 as a strong and disciplined political force that posed a serious challenge to the NDC.
He recalled that even after losing the 1992 presidential election, the NPP remained formidable, producing a well known report on the elections and maintaining a strong presence in national politics despite boycotting the parliamentary polls at the time.
According to him, figures such as Professor Albert Adu Boahen former President J A Kufuor and other early party leaders helped build a party that was respected even while in opposition.
He noted that the performance of NPP MPs after entering Parliament in 1996 made governance difficult for the NDC and contributed to the party’s victory in the 2000 elections.
However, Mr Tanko Computer stressed that things began to change in 2007 during the NPP flag bearer race.
He explained that the emergence of 17 aspirants alone was not the issue, but rather the calibre of candidates and the final choice the party made.
He argued that Alan Kyerematen was widely seen as a strong and popular candidate at the time, adding that within the NDC there was concern about facing him in a general election.
Mr Tanko Computer claimed that the election of Nana Akufo Addo marked the beginning of deep internal tensions within the NPP.
He referenced warnings he attributed to then President J A Kufuor, who cautioned party leaders against choosing a candidate who would bring tension and unrest to the party.
According to him, those warnings were ignored, leading to internal conflicts, including the removal of party executives, which he described as evidence of growing instability.
Mr Tanko Computer further argued that the NPP has now become fragmented, with what he described as active and virtual members within the party.
He explained that the virtual group refers to members who feel sidelined and disconnected from the current leadership.
He criticised the party’s recent strategy of electing a presidential candidate before reorganising the party, describing it as unusual and unhealthy.
He questioned how party executives who led the NPP to secure only 38 percent in the 2024 elections could oversee such a process without first rebuilding the party.
Mr Tanko Computer said these developments show how far the NPP has moved from the strong and united party it once was.
By: Jacob Aggrey
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
