Bright Simons, the Honourary Vice President of IMANI Africa, has expressed concern over the New Patriotic Party (NPP) losing members in its core areas. He points to the results of recent by-elections, which indicate a significant decline in voter support, particularly in the party’s strongholds.

Simons attributes this trend to internal cracks within the party system, leading disgruntled members to leave and run as independent candidates. Citing the Kumawu by-election as an example, he notes a notable decrease in NPP votes, with the candidate losing approximately 7,000 core voters compared to previous elections.

Speaking on the Newsfile program, Simons challenges the common belief that by-elections generally have lower turnouts. He clarifies that while some by-elections may indeed experience lower participation, this is not always the case.

Furthermore, he emphasizes that although the overall turnout in the Kumawu by-election was poor, the NPP is specifically losing grassroots support while the National Democratic Congress (NDC) maintains its numbers.

Analyzing the recent Assin North by-election, Simons highlights that while it is a swing constituency, each party traditionally receives a consistent number of votes. However, the NPP’s vote count has declined this time. He states that since 1996, the party has consistently garnered 15,000 to 16,000 votes in the Assin North constituency.

Simons asserts that this erosion of support within the NPP’s core base indicates a weakening of the party’s strong foundation. He suggests that factors such as widespread dissatisfaction among grassroots members and prevailing economic conditions in the country may be contributing to this trend.

“The core base [for NDC] is turning out and therefore they are sustained in their core base. The NPP on the order hand appears to be losing their core base in both elections.”

Mr Simons says this further proves that the strong core of the NPP is beginning to waver, and this may be linked “with massive disgruntlement in their grassroots and to some extent the economic factors that are prevailing in the country.”