Eighty-six-year-old former President John Agyekum Kufuor has voiced deep frustration over what he describes as his exclusion from key affairs of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), insisting that his age should not be used as a reason to sideline him.
In a straightforward reflection, the statesman lamented the growing tendency to push aside senior figures like himself, despite their sacrifices and enduring contributions to the party’s legacy.
“Have I declined to the point where I can be dismissed, overlooked? My faculties are intact. I’m no relic. I deserve at least to be consulted,” Kufuor said during a recent interaction with Abetifi MP and NPP flagbearer aspirant, Dr Bryan Acheampong.
He recounted his decades-long political journey, beginning as a 30-year-old Member of Parliament in 1969 and later serving as Deputy Minister under Prime Minister K.A. Busia. His political career was not without cost.
“Thirteen months in jail. How many of today’s leaders can say they’ve paid such a price?” he asked, referring to his imprisonment following the 1972 coup that toppled the Progress Party government.
Kufuor’s leadership brought the NPP to power in 2000, marking a pivotal moment in Ghana’s democratic history. Yet, two decades later, the man many regard as a cornerstone of the party’s modern success says he feels marginalised.
“If there are elders in this party, I am surely one,” he declared, stressing that age must not become an excuse for sidelining wisdom and experience.
Sources close to the former President revealed that he has formally petitioned the party leadership over concerns about internal decision-making processes and the handling of transitions within the NPP. His petition has triggered an emergency National Council meeting scheduled for Monday, 14th July.
Kufuor’s remarks have sent ripples through the party, sparking debate over generational leadership, respect for elders, and the importance of preserving institutional memory.
Political analysts say the former President’s intervention could force the NPP into a moment of reckoning, not just about leadership succession, but about how the party treats its founding figures and senior statesmen.
For Kufuor, the message is clear: contribution, sacrifice, and wisdom do not fade with age, and no one who has paid the price he has should be ignored.
While it is unclear what specifically triggered the former President’s comments, information reaching Myjoyonline indicates that the former President may not be available for the 19th July National Delegates Conference, an event that has been condemned by some sections of the party.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Kufuor’s concerns will force the leadership to make a U-turn on the scheduled conference or will go ahead with it.