Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante, has said former Environment Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng went too far in describing the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a “fake party,” even as he acknowledged that criticism within political parties should be tolerated.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng made the remarks during an interview on Point of View on Channel One  TV on Monday, January 12, where he accused the NPP leadership of abandoning the party’s founding values. The comments have since drawn strong reactions from the party.

The NPP, through its General Secretary Justin Frimpong Kodua, condemned the remarks as “highly reprehensible” and inconsistent with the party’s values, also dismissing allegations that its 2023 presidential primary was manipulated in favour of then Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Despite the party confirming that it has initiated steps to expel him, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng has insisted he remains a member and stated that he will not honour any invitation to appear before the party’s National Executive Committee or Disciplinary Committee.

Reacting to the controversy, Dr. Asah-Asante said while the party may face internal challenges, labelling it “fake” is inaccurate and extreme.

“The bit about it which I am not comfortable with is where he described the party in those terms. For me, the NPP is not a fake party. There are difficulties, and you can talk about them, but to describe the party as fake, the professor went to the extreme,” he said on Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, January 13.

However, Dr. Asah-Asante emphasised the importance of criticism in strengthening governance and internal party democracy, warning that intolerance of dissent could harm the party.

“Criticisms are the oils that grease the wheels of governance. Without criticism, every political or legal system will grind to a halt. The NPP must develop a very big stomach to accommodate some of these things if they want to remain a united party,” he stated.

He also cautioned that threatening to expel members over critical comments could set a dangerous precedent.

“The threat of throwing somebody out because the person has criticised you will eventually end up throwing everybody out,” he warned.

Dr. Asah-Asante urged the NPP to strictly follow due process in handling Prof. Frimpong-Boateng, noting that adherence to the rule of law is essential for the credibility of any decision taken by the party.

“Looking at whatever the professor has said, he should be given an opportunity to speak with a body that is in charge of the conduct of members of the party. After that, the rule of law should be applied,” he said.

He added that bypassing established procedures could easily be interpreted as an attempt to silence dissenting voices within the party.

“Anything outside this will be misconstrued as something else, such as gagging one or the rest of them. It is in the interest of the party to walk the professor through the rule of law so that at the end of the day, whatever decision comes out, people can stand up, defend it and own it,” he added.