How Owusu-Bempah ‘scolded’ presidential staffer for not saying please to him during a phone call

In a revealing post-mortem of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) performance in the 2024 Ghanaian general elections, Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei, a presidential staffer, has shed light on internal party dynamics that he believes contributed to their electoral defeat.

According to him, while others are entitled to blame President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the ruling party’s defeat, the issues underpinning the party’s poor performance extend beyond the president.

Central to his critique is an incident involving the NPP’s Deputy National Communications Officer, Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah, which underscores the broader issues of arrogance and disrespect within the party’s ranks.

Newton-Offei recounts a personal experience where he attempted to gather information about the state-owned Ghana Gas. He reached out to Owusu Bempah, who not only holds the position of Deputy National Communications Officer for the NPP but also serves as the Head of Corporate Communications at Ghana Gas.

Instead of assisting, Owusu-Bempah reportedly scolded Newton-Offei for not using the word “please” during their phone conversation.

“For the life of me, I still can’t get my head around how Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah was made a deputy national communication officer of the NPP. A fortnight ago, he was bashing his colleagues for not responding to calls. But I once called him for info about Ghana Gas, and he was extremely angry I didn’t say ‘please,'” he wrote.

This incident, as detailed by Newton-Offei, symbolizes what he perceives as a larger problem within the party: appointees who, upon receiving their positions, act with a sense of entitlement and disdain towards fellow party members and the public.

Newton-Offei’s post criticizes the behaviour of many appointees, describing them as “useless busybodies” who have shut doors to party foot soldiers while opening them to less relevant individuals, referred to as “slay queens.”

The critique extends beyond Owusu-Bempah to include other appointees, ministers, and even the workings within the presidency, highlighting a culture of “segregation” and selective accessibility. Newton-Offei points out that this attitude of “idiopathic pride and arrogance” not only alienated the party’s grassroots supporters but also contributed significantly to the NPP’s loss of public support in the elections.

The disdain for party members by those in power, according to the post, has led to a disconnect that was palpable during the campaign. Newton-Offei notes that the campaign team itself was cut off from grassroots feedback, further exacerbating the party’s disconnect from its base.

Read Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei’s post below:

NPP DEFEAT; THE POSTMORTEM (2)

I have seen some NPP brothers of mine heaping blames on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the party’s disastrous performance at the just-ended Presidential and parliamentary elections. I have absolutely no qualms with whatever issues anybody raises, and whose neck the blame is hanged.

Issues have been raised about purported unpopular decisions the president might have taken which tend to affect the party’s electoral fortunes. That too, I have no reason to cross swords with proponents of such narrative, and I respect their right to do vent. Effectively, Mr President has become the scapegoat.

Appointees

But in my personal assessment of our defeat, the blame must, largely, be borne by his appointees, who, instead of using the positions to serve, rather transmogrified into useless busybodies, shut doors in the faces of party footsldiers, treated phone calls with disdain, but opened their doors to slay queens.

And like I said: the president, directly, appointment not less than 700 people to various positions. But sadly, over 95% of these appointees pursued agendas that were egregiously asymmetrical to empowering party footsoldiers. The CEOs were the worst culprits in this obnoxiously annoying behavior.

The calls they responded were the ones from their inner circles and slay queens. The CEOs were more busy than even the president who appointed them; they were in meetings 24/7, and tacit approval, their Personal Assistants with no NPP leanings, exhibited objectionable insolence towards party footsoldiers.

Ministers

As for the ministers, I personally made the conscious decision never to interact with any of them because I very much abhor idiopathic pride; I have no respect for characters with no respect for fellow humans. Most of them expected to be worshipped but I knew they weren’t worthy so I duly avoided them.

Presidency

Even at the presidency, there was some form of ‘segregation’ where others wielded clout and others regarded as ‘commoners’. You would be in the same department with someone but the level differential wouldn’t get you access, both in person and on phone, for the whole year. How does that creat good working-space.

Party executives

Then the party’s Executives, particularly at the national level: the moment they’re sworn into office, they become impervious to sound advice and suggestions. You express a view on their action or innaction, and you become a bitter enemy. They never pick calls and never conduct business from the party office.

But I would single out Mr Ntim, the current party’s national chairman; he always respond to calls, and even return same if he misses yours. The others always operate in bubbles of their own and only accessible to those they wish to. They often abandon their core duties to assume unwarranted responsibilities.

Composition

The composition of the party’s national Executives, particularly the appointed ones, is also problematic; over the years, that process has been dictated by cronyism, favoritism and friendship. The overriding factor hasn’t been passion, zeal, and competence. So they take the positions, and they behave anyhow.
For the life of me, I still can’t get my head around how Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah was made a deputy national communication officer of the NPP. A fortnight ago, he was bashing his colleagues for not responding to calls. But I once called him for info about Ghana Gas, and he was extremely angry I didn’t say “please”.

Arrogance of power

Ghanaians voted out the NPP, not largely on the basis of non-performance, but arrogance of power, idiopathic pride, and obscene acts of disrespect which completely upset Ghanaians and alienated the party’s grassroot base. Those with foreign appointments must be left to focus on their official-assigned duties.

Campaign team

And finally but most importantly, is those who are chosen as the campaign team of the party’s flagbearer. Instead of a channel of communication being created to receive feedbacks from the grassroots, they rather cut themselves off. The communication channel becomes completely non-existent.

Winning a 3rd term of office under our country’s 4th Republican dispensation will never take a wishy-washy approach. And to make this happen, the common-denominator must be exceptionally motivated, highly energized, and duly respected party grassroot members. Without that, forget it!!!

Justice A. Newton-Offei