Former presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Arthur Kobina Kennedy, has weighed in on discussions surrounding the decision of the party's hierarchy to grant amnesty to all suspended members.

The acting national chairman of the party, Danquah Smirth Butey, in a statement, specified that the party has granted amnesty to members who have been suspended as well as those who were facing various disciplinary actions.

He indicated that the move formed part of the party's commitment to fostering internal cohesion, strengthening solidarity and preparing collectively for the political tasks ahead.

However, Dr Kennedy, in an interview on JoyNews on Monday, August 18, 2025, expressed a contrary view, saying the amnesty will not be good enough to tackle the problems of the party at the base.

In his views, the party was faced with massive division, which he claimed contributed significantly to its disastrous defeat in the 2024 elections. Adding that "20% of John Mahama's votes came from old NPP members who never resigned publicly"

According to him, such distraught members did not necessarily need amnesty but rather an assurance that "we heard their message, that we understand our mistakes, that we are more humble; but I think that this amnesty does not address that."

He opined that the party needed to publicly apologise to certain individuals, notably former national chairman, Paul Afoko and former general secretary, Kwabena Agyapong.

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He again insisted that instead of granting amnesty, the party must unreservedly apologise to the "Alan supporter who lost an eye and all those people."

"We need to apologise to Ghanaians for running the party as if it were a private club that belonged to a few individuals. A party is a public institution and must be run in a way that is attractive to people."

The decision to grant amnesty to party members who have been facing various disciplinary actions was taken by the National Council of the party at its emergency meeting held on Friday, July 25, 2025.

NAAB/SEA

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