The newly elected Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, popularly known as COKA, has called on politicians and party communicators to abandon the growing culture of insults in Ghanaian politics and embrace issue-based discourse.
He said politics should be used as a vehicle for development and not as a platform for personal attacks, name-calling and needless confrontation.
According to him, the politics of insults was not part of the traditional culture of the Ashanti Region and must not be allowed to become the defining feature of political engagement in the region.
Chairman Kwaku Appiah made the call when he hosted members of the media to a victory dinner and party in Kumasi to celebrate his election as the new Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP.
He said political actors had a responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner that promoted peace, unity and development, particularly as the country prepared for future elections.
“We must move away from the politics of insults and concentrate on issues that affect our people. Politics must be about development and the welfare of the people,” he said.
COKA said his election, together with that of the other newly elected regional executives, marked the beginning of a new chapter for the NPP in the Ashanti Region.
He stressed that the party’s ambition to regain and consolidate political support could not be achieved through abusive language or personal attacks.
“You can only win political power through respect, good attitude and conduct—not insults,” he stressed.
He therefore urged NPP members, particularly communicators, to exercise restraint when engaging political opponents on radio, television and other media platforms.
Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah said the new regional leadership was determined to restore confidence, discipline and unity within the party while creating a better working relationship between the NPP and the media.
The Regional Chairman expressed profound gratitude to members of the media for the support they had given him throughout his political journey.
He acknowledged that there had been some disagreements between the Ashanti Regional NPP and sections of the media in the past, but said those challenges should not be allowed to define the relationship going forward.
“There have been issues between us and the media, but I believe it is not too late to correct them. Let us leave the past behind and move forward,” he appealed.
He noted that the media remained an indispensable partner in politics and governance, stressing that no political organisation could achieve meaningful success without engaging effectively with journalists and media houses.
“You cannot do anything successful in politics without the media,” he stated.
COKA consequently appealed to journalists and media practitioners to work with the new regional executive to promote constructive political discourse and issues that would advance the interests of the Ashanti Region.
Communicators’ Clearance
The NPP Ashanti Regional Chairman also announced measures to bring greater coordination and discipline to the party’s communication activities.
He directed that any NPP communicator invited to participate in a radio or television programme must first be cleared by the Regional Communications Director.
He said the directive was intended to ensure that party representatives who spoke on official matters were properly coordinated and reflected the position of the party.
“We should not just allow anybody to go on radio and say anything. Anything official will be the duty of our Communications Director or the Regional Secretary,” he said.
He also appealed to media houses to exercise discretion in selecting political communicators and to avoid giving platforms to individuals who might make unverified or inflammatory statements in the name of the party.
Call for Media Support
Chairman Kwaku Appiah urged the media and political actors to live in harmony and work together to protect the image and interests of the Ashanti Region.
He said the region had a critical role to play in Ghana’s political and economic development and therefore could not afford to allow partisan disagreements to undermine its progress.
He further urged journalists to use the freedom of the press to hold governments accountable and ask the right questions on development.
He particularly challenged the media to scrutinise the performance of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and demand answers on issues affecting the Ashanti Region.
According to him, the NPP’s role as an opposition party included drawing attention to development gaps and ensuring that the concerns of residents were brought to the attention of the government.
He argued that whenever the NDC assumed political power, the Ashanti Region had often been disadvantaged in terms of development, and therefore called on the media to remain vigilant in demanding accountability.
Support for Media
The newly elected chairman also assured media practitioners of the NPP’s continued support and cooperation.
He promised that the regional party leadership would strengthen its relationship with journalists and media organisations and work towards creating a more cordial environment for engagement.
He further pledged his support for the media’s end-of-year get-together, describing it as part of efforts to deepen relations between the party and the media fraternity.
The victory dinner provided an opportunity for the new regional chairman to thank journalists for their role in his political journey while outlining his vision for a more disciplined and coordinated NPP in the Ashanti Region.
COKA’s call for an end to insults comes amid growing public concern about the increasingly confrontational tone of Ghana’s political discourse, with many stakeholders advocating a return to issue-based campaigns and respectful political engagement ahead of future elections
