Media personality and New Patriotic Party (NPP) member Okatakyie Kwame Afrifa-Mensah has described Kojo Bamba’s election as NPP National First Vice Chairman as a major grassroots statement, comparing his unexpected victory to Barack Obama’s rise in US politics.
Afrifa Mensah said he was “surprised but amazed” by Bamba’s victory and argued that the result showed how fresh faces could disrupt established political structures.
He likened Bamba’s emergence to Obama’s political rise, saying the victory demonstrated the power of grassroots support to overcome established political figures.
According to Afrifa Mensah, the result should also push the NPP to rethink its political image, particularly its association with “machoism”.
“Ghanaian politics must move away from machoism,” he said, stressing the need for the NPP to rebrand and appeal more strongly to the middle class, professionals and university students.
Afrifa Mensah acknowledged Bamba’s past association with the Delta Force vigilante group in Kumasi but said the NPP must now focus on a different political direction.
He also pointed to Bamba’s strong grassroots connection as one of the reasons his election could be useful to the party.
“The grassroots are very important to the NPP,” Afrifa Mensah said, arguing that bringing their energy into the party’s organisational structure could strengthen its mobilisation ahead of future elections.
He added that the grassroots network would be important in supporting Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and ensuring the party maintains its organisational strength.
“Aligning the energy of the grassroots will be crucial for the party, especially when it comes to protecting the ballot boxes,” he said.
For Afrifa Mensah, Bamba’s victory was therefore not simply an unexpected outcome at the NPP’s internal elections but a sign that the party’s grassroots can still influence its leadership in significant ways.
