The Founder and President of the UP Tradition Institute, Dr. Razak Kojo Opoku, has challenged claims circulating within the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that former President John Agyekum Kufuor secured no parliamentary seats in several regions during his bid for the presidency.

According to Dr. Opoku, it is inaccurate to suggest that Mr. Kufuor recorded zero parliamentary seats in eight regions during the 1996 general elections.

He said available electoral data shows that the NPP won parliamentary seats in seven out of the then 10 regions during that election.

Dr. Opoku outlined that in 1996, the NPP secured 29 out of 33 parliamentary seats in the Ashanti Region, four out of 21 seats in Brong-Ahafo, three out of 17 in Central, 11 out of 26 in Eastern, eight out of 22 in Greater Accra, three out of 23 in Northern, and three out of 19 in the Western Region.

He explained that the party recorded zero parliamentary seats in only three regions—Upper West, Upper East and Volta—contrary to claims that it failed to win seats in eight regions.

Dr. Opoku also rejected similar assertions regarding former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s performance in the 2012 elections.

He made these corrections in a Facebook post. 

He said it was incorrect to claim that Mr. Akufo-Addo secured no parliamentary seats in six regions during that contest.

According to him, electoral records indicate that the NPP won parliamentary seats in eight out of the 10 regions in 2012. These included 43 out of 47 seats in Ashanti, 13 out of 29 in Brong-Ahafo, seven out of 23 in Central, 26 out of 33 in Eastern, 15 out of 34 in Greater Accra, 11 out of 31 in Northern, two out of 15 in Upper East and eight out of 26 in Western Region.

He noted that the party recorded zero parliamentary seats in only two regions—Upper West and Volta—during the 2012 elections.

Dr. Opoku stressed that the NPP was in opposition during both the 1996 and 2012 elections and urged party leadership to rely on accurate historical data when making political arguments.

He also criticised what he described as poor research and data analysis within the party’s campaign machinery, calling for improvements to ensure that party members and delegates are presented with factual and reliable information.