Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) loss in the 2024 elections should serve as a clear warning to politicians that Ghanaians will punish any form of mismanagement.

Speaking on The Delay Show, Mr. Kufuor attributed the party’s defeat to controversial policies under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, including the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), the National Cathedral project, and the failed Power Distribution Services (PDS) deal.

“The Ghanaian electorate cannot be taken for granted. Politicians must learn from this,” he stressed, noting that the results reflect public dissatisfaction with key decisions taken during the last administration.

According to the former President, the NPP’s landslide victory in 2016 was partly due to the party’s campaign built around the achievements of his own government.

He observed, however, that governance priorities shifted after President Akufo-Addo assumed office.

“Before 2016, the campaign was anchored on my achievements. The government started well, but things changed after he took office,” he said.

Mr. Kufuor also pointed to post-COVID-19 governance choices, especially the impact on the bond market, the PDS controversy, and the handling of the National Cathedral project, as major sources of public anger.

Regarding the Cathedral, he revealed that he was not consulted and only learned about the project after construction had begun.

He further criticised the demolition of state properties, including housing for judges, for a project that remains incomplete.

Reflecting on the NPP’s electoral trajectory, he highlighted the party’s overwhelming 2016 win, the razor-thin and contentious 2020 results that produced a hung Parliament, and the emphatic 2024 defeat.

“We won massively in 2016. The 2020 elections were tight and gave us a hung Parliament, and 2024 was something else altogether,” he stated.

Mr. Kufuor concluded that the trend is a lesson to all political actors: to retain public trust, leaders must govern with transparency, discipline, and sensitivity to the expectations of citizens.